Silence and Insanity
by MoonlitxAngel
Summary: It's after break and something is amiss. Ulrich refuses to speak a word and there's a new girl on Lyoko. Is she friend or foe? How did she end up there? Why does she know so much about Xana? YxU JxA OxOC
1. After Break

_**After Break**_

_** A/N: Another Code Lyoko fanfic! One fic inspired part of this one. There is a fic called 'Odd Falls For XANA by ReneeA111' which, as the title suggests, Odd falls in love with Xana. This is where part of this fic comes from. The other part is my brain and the countless number of angst fics that I've read over the past week or so. Lol. Anyway, you'll now notice that I've got quite the random personality in these author's notes, but that it doesn't show too much in my stories. Lol. Except for one… *lost in train of thought* Anyway, onto the story!**_

Normal

_Thoughts, __Remembering what other people said_

**Emphasis, **_**emphasis, **__**emphasis**_

Odd sighed and breathed in as he entered the gates of Kadic Academy. He hated to admit it, but he'd missed the school and its forest-y smell. What he'd missed most of all, though, were his friends. It really sucked living in Italy away from your school and not being able to see your friends once over a break.

"Odd!" Aelita yelled running up to him and placing her hands on her knees, clearly out of breath. "There's something wrong…"

"Xana just can't seem to-" Odd began, but was quickly interrupted before he'd even dropped his bag to the ground.

"It's not Xana… It's Ulrich. Something's wrong with him…" Aelita told him, sucking in a deep breath and motioning for him to follow her to Jeremie's dorm.

-Ulirch-

He sat on Jeremie's bed with his legs held close to his chest. He didn't really want to see his friends right now, but Aelita had caught him moments before he'd gotten to his room and caught the vine-like bruise on his wrist. That's where he was staring. He was looking at the purple-ish bruise that had been left by that cruel man.

"Jeremie, what's wrong with him?" Odd asked as he walked into the room. He took a seat on the bed and sat near Ulrich.

Ulrich scooted as far as the bed allowed from any of the three of them and looked into his lap. He didn't want to see their worried expressions. It bothered him more than they knew. He didn't deserve their pity.

"Aelita saw him going into your room and stopped him and asked how his break was and he didn't respond and tried to get into the room. Aelita stopped him and he looked like he was in pain and Aelita noticed a bruise sitting on his arm. He's not said a word since she found him," Jeremie told him.

"Do you think we should call Yumi?" Odd asked.

Ulrich hoped that they didn't. He really didn't need to add Yumi into the list of people who were worried about him right now. He just wanted to unpack, but no matter what his friends refused to let him leave and continued to pester him. After an hour he heard Aelita sigh and he looked up.

"We might as well give up… He's not going to speak if we keep pushing him to do so. We'll just have to wait until he speaks of his own accord… Until then, why not get ready for the school's dance," she stated, standing up and stretching her back.

"This brings a new meaning to Jim's 'I'd rather not talk about it'," Odd said as he followed suit.

Ulrich hugged his legs tighter and frowned. He hated that all this was happening to him… _Our lives would be so much easier if you would keep your mouth closed! Better, if you were born mute!_

-Odd-

He had just finished unpacking and sighed. He wished that Ulrich would tell them what had happened so they could help, but what's done is done and he couldn't do a thing about it.

"So, do you think you'll be coming to the dance?" Odd asked as he turned toward Ulrich. He knew that trying to get the brunette to respond was useless, but hey, he was known for doing the impossible.

Ulrich shrugged his shoulders and kept his eyes downcast.

"Well, Yumi might be there and it'll be nice to see her since you haven't seen her since the beginning of break," Odd stated, sitting next to Ulrich, who had resumed the position he'd been in when they'd been in Jeremie's room.

His only response was a bored shrug and a sigh.

"You need something to cheer you up and that's the only thing I can think of other than playing some prank on Sissi."

Ulrich shrugged his shoulders and looked at his shoes.

"You know, this is just going to make us worry more… You're not acting like yourself and you're not talking… It's hurting us, Ulrich…" He said and hugged the quiet boy tight. He was trying to hold back tears.

Ulrich nodded and rested his head on Odd's shoulder.

Odd reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone as it began to buzz. He looked down at it and saw the Xana symbol. "Ulrich, there's a Xana attack… Are you coming or not?"

Ulrich nodded and lifted himself off the bed. He plunged his feet into his shoes then bolted out the door before Odd had even stood up.

Odd followed Ulrich closely.

-Yumi-

She ran toward the factory as quickly as her legs allowed. She definitely didn't want to repeat the day over again because of Xana. Her parents had ended up fighting and Johnny had been following her around all day long. Once she got in the elevator and pushed the down button her mind began wondering about what she'd been told earlier that day and hoped that Ulrich's silence was a joke of Odd's.

"Yumi, I've already virtualized the others. Xana's trying to hack into the supercomputer. I'm holding him off, but I'm not sure how long that'll work," Jeremie said not daring to peel his eyes from the supercomputer screen.

"I'm on my way."

(*)(*)(*)(*) Lyoko –Ice Sector- (*)(*)(*)(*)

-Ulrich-

Ulrich swung his katana and missed the hornet flying above them by a small centimeter. He cursed himself and continued fighting. Fighting was a good way to get his frustrations out. He watched as Yumi came down a few feet away.

"How bad is it?" Yumi asked as she pulled her fans out of no where.

"Well, he's not talked the entire time since he got back and-" Odd began as he was shooting off laser arrows.

"Not what I meant. I meant the monsters," she stated looking over at Ulrich's thankful expression.

"Well, there are five Krabs over there and then there are eight hornets here," Odd commented.

Ulrich sighed and looked at Odd. He was almost willing him to start talking about him again. He was torn between two decisions. Decision one was to let them come up with their own ideas of why he was silent and go from there. Decision two was to make sure they didn't talk about it.

-Odd-

He shot off more arrows and watched as Yumi and Ulrich fought all the harder. Aelita had hidden herself because she knew she couldn't get through and her energy fields wouldn't be too much help.

"You really are a persistent bunch, huh?" a girl's voice asked from behind an iceberg. She stepped out and Odd pointed an arm at her.

"Who are you and why are you here? You've got five seconds and you just wasted two," Yumi stated, her fans at the ready.

"No one of importance…" she whispered.

Odd noticed a few things about the girl. She didn't seem afraid of the monsters all around her. She seemed content to be near them. It seemed to make her glad to have them close. The second thing he noticed was her snow white hair that was pulled into braids and her piercing green eyes. Her hair seemed to sway from side to side as if wind were blowing around her. The third and final thing he noticed was that she was staring right at him. Not rudely or anything. She was just staring at him.

She averted her eyes as soon as soon as hers met Odd's and then waved her hand upwards and the monsters left. "You may pass."

Aelita ran for the tower, but Odd stood with his eyes fixed on the mysterious girl. He could have sworn that she was smiling sweetly at him. If he'd been on Earth at the moment he knew that he would have been blushing a deep shade of red. An image of what she looked like was imprinted into his mind. The way her white hair looked like it was swaying in a nonexistent breeze… The way the pink tunic, green leggings, and green hair ties looked amazing and went well with her eyes… The way she looked so innocent.

She walked slowly towards them and veered toward Odd. "I'll be waiting for you," she whispered and then disappeared with a whisper of air.

_**A/N: Who is the mysterious girl? Why is Ulrich silent? Will Jeremie get a Lyoko form courtesy of me? XD All this and more answered in chapters to come! ^^ So, push the button down there, okay? I know more people are looking at my stories than are reviewing… lol.**_

_**Push the button for the magical feedback box. (Also known as the review box.)**_

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	2. Of the Forest

_**Of the Forest**_

_** A/N: I shall explain the chapter's title in the ending author's note. Lol. I bet you're all wondering about it, too, now that I mentioned it. D Thank you for reviews! Oh, and Kep? Crystal was a normal girl. -3- Kind of. If you count Aelita normal, then Crystal is normal, too. X3 OMG! I JUST CHECKED DARKENED MOON AND I SERIOUSLY LOVE ALL OF YOU! (Not like that) IT HAD 101 REVIEWS! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! ^-^**_

_** Onto the story!**_

_"You're worthless, you know that?" his father yelled coming toward him._

_ "Whatever you say…" he replied with a sigh. He hoped that it would be over soon. All the yelling was making his mom nervous. He was used to the yelling, it had been happening ever since Ulrich had gotten into the car when he'd been picked up. It was almost always this way when Ulrich was home._

_ "Don't answer me with 'whatever'! You're going to start showing me some respect!" his father yelled smacking his son's face hard._

_ "I never asked for any of this, okay? I never asked to have a father who wanted perfect grades! I never asked to not get perfect grades! I try my best, Dad!" he yelled, holding his cheek where he'd been hit. He refused to cry and give his dad the satisfaction of victory._

_ His father came up to him and kicked him in the leg. "Don't you get it? Last night you ruined my entire career! You should have sat and kept your mouth shut! Our lives would be so much easier if you would have kept your mouth closed! Better, been born mute!"_

_ "I didn't know, Dad!" he yelled as he shuddered, the hitting and kicking continued._

Ulrich sat up breathing heavily. He'd had that same dream ever since it had actually happened. He shuddered and leaned up against the wall. He stared out the window and let his eyes flick from different details outside. The leaves. The trees. The moon. After awhile he turned his head and was going to wake Odd up and see if he'd be able to calm his racing thoughts, but he was nowhere to be found.

-Odd-

He flicked his tail from side to side as he followed the girl. He was glad that Jeremie had taught them how to use the supercomputer because he needed to talk to her again, but she was running. "Please! Wait!"

She stopped, beckoning him to come forward. "You seem to be understanding enough…"

"What do you mean?" he asked getting as close as he dared.

She sat down on a rock in the forest sector and motioned for him to sit below her. "I have a lot to speak with you about and little time… My form doesn't stay on Lyoko long… I must return to Carthage soon… Next time your friends visit Carthage come visit me, alright? I'll be in the room with the core of Lyoko. Now, on to bigger matters…"

"Can I ask a question?" Odd asked as he stared up at her.

She nodded and waited for him to speak again.

"Is there a name that I can call you by?"

She looked as if she were pondering his question. "I won't give you my real name, alright? You're not ready for it…"

He nodded and waited again.

"My name is Xylia. What's yours?"

"Odd Della Robbia."

"What's Earth like now? I mean, what's changed since, say, ten years ago?"

Odd shrugged. "I was a toddler at the time, so I wouldn't know."

"Oh… Odd, please believe me, okay? I need friends… I've been shut out from the world for so long that-"

"Odd! What are you doing?" Yumi yelled behind him.

"Oh no… This can't be happening… This wasn't supposed to happen…" Xylia whispered as she stood up. "I'm sorry, Odd… Please forgive me…"

Green leaves began falling from above them and spun quickly around Odd and Xylia.

-Jeremie-

"Yumi! What's going on?" He asked. "I see a huge monster on the screen!"

"The girl from earlier that helped us get to the tower was talking to Odd and she freaked when I called out to Odd and now leaves have come out of nowhere and are spinning around the two!" she yelled at him. Clearly there was some loud noise there. He guessed that the leaves Yumi had mentioned were making some kind of noise.

"Can you get anything through?" Jeremie asked as he began typing different programs into the boxes. He waited a few seconds and got the response.

"No. Nothing will go through," she told him.

"I'm working on it from my end, but… There's an activated tower somewhere and I can't get through! Ugh! What should we do?" he asked no in particular.

"We can't get anything through that, so we might as well take care of the tower," Aelita told him. She seemed to know how nervous Jeremie was.

-Odd-

"Are you alright?" a voice asked above him.

He reached out his hands and tiredly blinked open his eyes.

"Odd, please answer me…" she whispered sadly.

He sat up and looked around. "Xylia?" She looked as if she were crying.

"Did I hurt you…?" she asked softly, looking up at him.

He shook his head. "No scratches, bumps, or bruises!" He almost fell over as she jumped over and hugged him.

"I'm so sorry… I didn't mean for that to happen, I swear! I freaked and…"

"I get it. No biggie. Yumi scares the rest of us sometimes, too. Though, why are you afraid of them?" he asked, cocking his head to one side.

She shook her head. "They wouldn't give me a chance once they knew who I am… I need help, Odd… I'm stuck here… Just, not like Aelita was. She was here because U-" she caught herself and began again, "She was here because Franz put her here… I'm here because…"

Odd hugged her. He didn't know what compelled him to do so, but he hugged her. She looked like she needed it. "I'll promise you something here and now, okay?"

She nodded.

"I'll trust you. Tell me about yourself at your own pace because it's clear that you've gone through a lot," he said as he pulled away to look her in the eyes.

She nodded again. "Thank you, Odd…" She waved her hand and a white door appeared. "That's your way back to Lyoko…"

Odd looked around and noticed they were in what looked like a bedroom. He'd been lying on the bed and Xylia was sitting at a table. The room was a light blue. "We'll see each other again, right?" he asked her as he walked to the door.

She nodded. "In due time, Odd, in due time…"

-Ulrich-

He sat in one of the scanners pondering all that they'd seen.

"Where do you think she took Odd?" Yumi asked Jeremie as she stood against the scanner that Ulrich was sitting in.

"Where ever she's staying at on Lyoko, probably," he commented as he paced.

Ulrich wished that Odd weren't so gullible. If he wasn't then none of this would have ever happened.

"Any idea how to get him back, Einstein?" Yumi asked.

"Everything will be okay, Ulrich," Aelita whispered from his other side as she looked at him in comforting way.

He looked at his shoe and ignored his friends.

"No. He's disappeared on us and I tried to localize him, but I can't find his digital signature and without that we're lost," he replied.

Ulrich looked up as Yumi began to say something. One of the scanners had begun to make a noise.

_**A/N: Haha! So, you've learned a small bit more about the girl, Xylia, and have more questions, right? XD Well, I'm not telling you, okay? XD We'll leave those for later. And yes, I'm mean to Ulrich. But, I'm mean to the rest of them as well, you'll see. XDD Anyway, read and review! X3 Oh, and Xylia means 'of the forest' in some language. Behindthename(dot)come people. Go there and look it up. XD It won't tell you much about the story, though. ^^**_


	3. This Can't Continue

_**This Can't Continue**_

_** A/N: Okay, so the last chapter focused more on Odd so, this chapter will focus more on Ulrich's predicament. Thanks for the reviews! IMPORTANT! READ!: I'll let you know when I'm not going to in these author's notes so pay attention. Starting last chapter I'm going to be showing a flashback of Ulrich's in each chapter. I'll let you know when and why I skip when I do. XD**_

_** Onto the story!**_

_"You're a worthless piece of shit, you know that?" his father asked him angrily one night after he'd returned home from trying to find work._

_ Ulrich got off the couch and walked towards his room, not even acknowledging his dad's statement. He was used to. He deserved it was all he could figure._

_ "Oh no you don't!" his dad yelled grabbing Ulrich's shoulder and pushing him back into the chair. "You need to get something through your thick skull here and now. You need to get rid of those worthless friends of yours! Your grades are probably their fault. You're an abomination to the Stern family name! All your ancestors before you were better than you! Heck, anyone is better than you!"_

_ Yesterday Ulrich had lost all hope at being freed from this…_

Ulrich leaned his back against the wall as the sweat trickled down his forehead. The nightmare was always the same. It was one of the flashbacks of when his father had beaten him. He stood up and rocked back on his heels. After contemplating doing so, he removed his shirt and studied the bruises across his skin. Odd was out of the room talking over something with Jeremie so he was free to do so without suspicion rising.

His father had used anything he could get his hands on to hurt Ulrich. The list included belts, plates, the stairs, a lamp, and multiple other items throughout their house. He used the belts like a whip and so Ulrich had multiple bruises running up his arms, back, and legs where the belt had left them. A few scabs sat there where the leather had broken skin. Having been pushed down the stairs was a lucky break for Ulrich since he hadn't broken anything, though he wished he had. The plates had left scars that ran along his torso and upper back. He also had multiple spots where scabs were finally done healing and new skin was still unscathed, though probably not for long if Ulrich's dad had his way. He'd wanted to move closer to Kadic and make Ulrich a day student. Ulrich had no idea as to why, but chanced a guess at him wanting to take his frustration out on Ulrich.

He quickly slipped his shirt back on and laid himself down carefully as the door opened and Jeremie came in with Odd.

"This isn't a good idea, Odd," he heard Jeremie whisper.

"I didn't think it was a good idea to interrogate me after I came back from Lyoko nor did I say anything about it after telling you what happened. My turn," Odd stated.

Ulrich remained lying down until he felt a hand on his pillow. His immediate reaction was to grab the person's wrist and jerk it so they slammed against the wall. He resisted and waited.

"Do you even know where his diary is?" Jeremie asked matter-of-factly.

Ulrich shifted in bed to hopefully scare Jeremie and make him realize that he might wake up at any moment and would be really mad. It didn't work.

"I think…it's…here," Odd said as things were shifted around.

Ulrich knew that his friends finding out about what would happen would probably be best, but if his dad found out about it before the police took him away… What he'd been threatened with would come to fruition before the police got him. He didn't want that to happen so he twisted around and snatched his diary out of Odd's hand. He glared at the two.

"C'mon Ulrich… Tell us what happened, okay? We'll help you get out of whatever mess you're in and no one has to worry," Odd stated, reaching for the diary.

Ulrich attempted to leave the room, but was stopped by Odd. He hadn't expect that and ended up knocking Odd over. His eyes widened and he began searching around the room for a piece of paper and a pencil.

"What do you suppose he's doing?" Jeremie asked Odd as he helped him up.

"No idea…" he muttered as Ulrich found what he was looking for and began writing really quick. He handed the piece of paper to Odd and hid himself under the covers.

Odd walked out to the hallway to read it since it was dark in the room. "Jeremie…?" Odd said, the hesitation in his voice making it sound like more of a question.

Jeremie walked over and gawked at the piece of paper. The entire front side of the paper had 'I'm really really really really really…" until almost the end of the paper where he wrote 'sorry for knocking you down. I didn't mean to…'

"This seems a little OCD to me…" Odd stated staring at the paper.

"I'll look into it. I doubt that he's OCD, though. He'd probably get better grades," Jeremie let loose a small laugh and proceeded down the hall to his room after saying good-night to Odd.

-Xylia-

"No, no, no…" She whispered to herself as she ran through the glacier ridden Ice Sector of Lyoko and tried to dodge the red and black data beams being sent after her. The beams transformed themselves into wolves and began to follow Xylia as she made her way toward a tower she knew she'd be safe in.

The data wolves chased after her, barreling through a glacier in the process and spraying shards of ice everywhere. Xylia couldn't avoid the spray of shrapnel and fell, allowing the wolves to trap then encase her in their data.

Her white hair turned to black with red streaks sitting in its depths. Her outfit changed from the pink and green color scheme to black and red. Her hand raised itself and faced a tower, palm forward.

-Odd-

He looked up at the ceiling and frowned. Break had only ended yesterday and there was already a lot going on. He refused to tell Jeremie, Yumi, Aelita, and Ulrich anything else about what Xylia would tell him. If she had any trust in him then he wasn't about to ruin that. He'd already lost enough girlfriends and if Xylia was going to be the next one he didn't want to ruin it for himself. He really liked her and-

"Odd," Jeremie said, an urgent tone in his voice, as he popped his head in the room.

"Huh? What?" he asked as his mind was brought back to Earth.

"Xana is attacking and I can't get a hold of Ulrich. Do you have any ideas where he is and are you prepared to go?"

"I have no idea where Ulrich is. He left here about ten minutes ago. I'm ready to go, I guess. Will it just be Aelita, Yumi, and me then?"

Jeremie nodded as the two left the room.

-Ulrich-

He tried to hide the evident dread that was sitting on his face, but couldn't hold it back.

"Your father called earlier and told me that he's getting everything in order and that you'll be living with them when they get everything settled," Principal Delmas told him.

Ulrich gave a curt nod before standing up to leave.

_**A/N: My brain comes up with some pretty interesting things when I'm half-asleep. XD I already have Xylia's history and past worked out. You'll find out more soon enough. XDD**_


	4. Choices

_**Choices**_

_** A/N: thank you all for reviewing! X3 I gained some new reviewers and it seems all my old ones have followed me! X3 Thank you all sooooo much for sticking with me/coming to join me this time! X3 I love you all! X3 So, review, review, review! X3 Oh, by the way, I decided that Ulrich's parents' names are Johan (dad) and Cara (mom). ^-^**_

_** Onward to the story!**_

_Ulrich walked in the front door to hear his parents screaming at each other. He was six years old and had gone to a friend's house across the street._

_ "I'll reprimand him as I see fit for his grades!" his father yelled to his mother._

_ "Beating him for bad grades is against the law, Johan," his mother had said angrily._

_ Ulrich peeked his head into the room and saw his dad had his fist clenched, as if he were ready to punch his mom._

_ "Cara, you have to keep a firm hand on your children or they'll be the ones that end up in gangs! Do you want that to happen to Ulrich?" his father yelled, smashing his fist against the table._

_ "Beating a child isn't the way to go! Don't you dare lay a hand on him!" she yelled as his father turned around to face Ulrich as he stared in the door way._

_ Ulrich's body shook and refused to move as his father got closer and closer to him._

_ "Watch me," his dad said before kicking Ulrich._

_ Ulrich was six, and pretty short at the time, so he skidded across the floor and hit the wall near the front door. He watched in horror as his dad turned around to face his mom and began hitting and kicking her, too._

Ulrich shuddered as the memory overcame him and he ran to his room and locked the door, hoping that Odd would get the hint and go to Jeremie's room when he couldn't get in. Odd had left his key in the room. He covered himself with the covers on his bed and petted Kiwi as he tried to calm himself.

-Odd-

Odd, Yumi, and Aelita landed nimbly on their feet as they entered the Forest Sector of Lyoko.

"Which direction, Einstein?" Odd asked as he looked around, scanning the area for Xylia.

"Start heading thirty degrees to the East. The supercomputer says it's that way. Oh, and you're welcoming committee is coming right up ahead. Ten Krabs and three hornets," he stated as he looked at the screen.

"The welcoming committee has been lessened," Odd stated as the three ran forward and toward the monsters.

"We don't know what Xana has up his sleeve, they could be more powerful than normal," Yumi stated as they neared the small group of monsters.

"I don't like this…" Aelita whispered.

"I don't either… I've tried Ulrich's cell three times and he still isn't picking up," Jeremie stated, a hint of frustration in his voice.

Odd scanned the area around the tower and spotted Xylia, but she looked different… Instead of her normal colors she was dressed in red and black from head to toe.

"Well, looks like we've got someone else to deal with now, too," Yumi stated with and edge to her voice.

"I don't see anything on the screen…" Jeremie said as he began typing things into the computer. "Who else is there?"

"Some girl and she looks a bit like that one girl that kidnapped Odd before," Aelita informed him, her eyes never leaving the group of Xana's minions.

"No way!" Odd yelled, grabbing the monsters' attention.

"Thank you for giving us away, Odd," Yumi stated angrily as she threw her fans at the monsters. Before they hit, Xylia's hand came up and they abruptly stopped before going back to Yumi and nearly slicing through her.

"More surprises," Aelita said in a sarcastic tone.

"Don't just assume stuff, Aelita," Odd said letting out his anger in his voice. If that really was Xylia over there why had she told Odd the stuff she had? And why had she been nice to him? Had it just been a ploy to get his affection or his allegiance? To catch him off guard, maybe? He wasn't sure, but he knew that he needed to talk to her. He jumped out from behind the rock, shooting at anything that got close to him and hoping that it hit his target as he neared the girl clad in red and black.

"O-Odd…?" she asked in a crackly voice, her eyes turning to their normal color, but her outfit and hair staying as they were.

"Xylia, what are you doing?" he asked as hurt filled his mind.

"C-Can't… S-Stop… X-Xana…" she pushed out.

-Xylia-

She looked at Odd and wished that she could say more… She should have known that this would happen. She should have known the stupid virus and stupid Xana would get in the way. She cursed her ill fate and wished that she could do nothing but tell Odd what was going on… Her uncle… Her brother… Xana… They all needed help… They needed her to be strong and she couldn't resist one stupid virus. "De-activate…"

Odd looked at her and then continued to send barrages of three laser arrows at the Krabs at a time and found that he could hit them without anything stopping him. "Yumi, try now!" He ran, zigzagging in and out the Krabs line and hitting them in the marks on their top when he could. It wasn't easy.

Aelita and Yumi, the ones that Xylia had first seen behind the rock, sent a ball of energy and two fans toward the Krabs respectively.

Both weapons hit their mark and the girls quickly took down the army of Krabs and Hornets as Xylia stood there battling inside herself. The virus was the main cause for this… It had been created to turn Xana into something else, she wasn't sure… Xana had been split and put into her and her brother when the incident had happened… She still couldn't bear to talk about it… She let the thought of helping her new friend encase her mind and create a barrier around herself that the virus, after some pushing, got through.

-Yumi-

She watched as Aelita dashed into the tower and seconds later deactivated it. She looked over to Odd and saw him run for the girl, who had changed back to her normal attire.

"You guys ready to come back?" Jeremie asked them from above.

"I'm going to stay here and make sure that Xylia is alright," Odd stated with determination. "I might be able to get out of her why she was acting that way…"

"I don't trust her. I'm staying, too," Yumi said as she stubbornly crossed her arms across her chest.

Odd glared at her. "She won't tell me anything if you're here. She doesn't trust you guys."

"The feeling is mutual," she stated as Xylia blinked her eyes open.

"Odd…" she whispered softly, looking up at him.

"Yumi, I agree with you, but we need to see if she'll tell Odd anything and he'll tell us," Jeremie stated.

"Fine. De-activate us," she said, trying and failing to hold back the anger that was evident in her tone.

(*)(*) A Few Minutes Later (Yumi and Aelita de-activated) (*)(*)

-Xylia-

"Odd, you have to help me… I-I can't do this by myself…" she whispered. She felt so lost. This was the first time since she'd last seen her brother and uncle that this had happened… She knew it wasn't going to be able to handle this on her own…

"What can't you do alone?" he asked, confusion crossing his expression as he looked at her worriedly.

She shook her head and then whispered, "I have to know that you're going to be safe… Your friends and you don't deserve this… Please see if they'll help… It has to do with stopping the evil virus that has ruined your lives…"

Odd nodded. "I'll ask them and let you know… Don't worry…"

She nodded. "I'm going to hide in the tower… If you need me come inside…"

He nodded and gave Jeremie the signal to be de-virtualized.

(*)(*)(*)(*) Earth (*)(*)(*)(*)

"You're going to believe her over us?" Yumi nearly screamed at him after he'd told them what Xylia had said.

"You don't know anything about her!" Odd yelled back and stomped his foot.

"We all know you, Odd. You're Kadic's Casanova. You're not going to let a girl go. Think about it for a few days, alright? We shouldn't rush into this…" Aelita said, trying to calm her friends down.

"Odd, you need to understand that she could be a threat. Is she all you're thinking about?" Yumi asked angrily.

"No, she's not. Are you thinking about Ulrich? Or how Xana is threatening the world? Do you understand that she could be a potential ally that knows more about Xana then we do or are you too stubborn?" he asked, crossing his arms against his chest.

-Xylia-

She looked up at the data in the tower and sighed. She saw her uncle and her brother. Her brother was still under the virus's control. That was two people she cared about and she didn't want to add a third…

_**A/N: I'm not sure right now, but this story might be shorter than Times to Remember and Things to Change and Darkened Moon. P: All depends. XDD Then again, we still have Ulrich's predicament, don't we? Are you all waiting for that? XD Anyway, read and review! Reviews make this author very happy! ^-^**_


	5. Gone?

_**Gone?**_

_** A/N: Okay, so thanks to flyboy961 for all his help with my past two stories. X3 He's been my backboard for bouncing ideas off of since sometime near the ending of Times to Remember and Things to Change, if I remember correctly. X3 So thanks! And I definitely have a love for all my awesome reviewers. You guys mean a lot to me. X3**_

_** Onto the story! X3**_

_Ulrich was sitting in his room reading when the door burst open and his dad began berating him about his grades. "Dad, I was studying," he stated simply before returning to his book. It was kind of studying, reading a book was._

_ His dad snatched the book from Ulrich's hands and threw it to the ground. "You listen here and you listen good."_

_ Ulrich grabbed the pillow on his bed and held it in front of him seconds before his dad's fist would have made contact with his stomach._

_ His dad snatched the pillow from his grasp and kicked him again._

_ Ulrich ducked below his dad's arm and ran for cover in a small part of their house where he'd always hide when his dad was like this. He knew that when he got older he wouldn't be able to use it for he was almost too big for it now._

_ "You little brat! You'd better get out of there right now and face me!" his dad yelled as he banged his fist against the wall above the small alcove._

_ "No! Not until you quit!" he yelled. He regretted it as soon as he'd said it because his dad moved something in front of the hole he used to get out._

_ "Then stay in there until you change your mind!" his dad yelled. Seconds later he heard glass shattering and his mother screaming._

-Odd-

None of them knew Xylia, at all. They thought that she was just some girl on Lyoko that Odd was falling for, which was true, and that he didn't consider consequences. Okay, so maybe the second one was true, too, but he knew she wasn't one to lie to him. She looked really upset when she'd told him and with everything that looked like they were bothering her. He tried to open the door and it wouldn't budge. "Ulrich, open up!"

He waited for an entire minute before he knocked again, louder, "C'mon! I have to feed Kiwi and walk him and I have to tell you something!" He waited for another minute before yelling, "Fine! I surrender!" He walked off and then went outside. He laid down on the bench and looked at the sky and frowned. Did everything have to be difficult? Did they have to think that Xylia was in cahoots with Xana? He decided to take matters into his own hands and ran toward the Factory.

-Ulrich-

He frowned and threw his pillow off the bed at the door and looked at Kiwi. He knew he'd miss the dog when his parents took him away. He may deserve it, but he didn't have to like it.

"Ulrich, have you seen Odd? We need to talk to him and I've been looking for two hours," Aelita asked him as she knocked lightly on the door.

He wiped away the tears as best as he could off his tear-streaked face and made his way to the door, kicking the pillow out of the way in the process.

"Good, you're here. Have you seen Odd? Did he come by earlier?"

Ulrich nodded and then frowned. He wished that he'd let Odd in now.

-Yumi-

"Jeremie, do you have any idea where else he could have gone?" she asked, pacing around the room.

"I told you my thoughts and you said he wouldn't dare," Jeremie stated as he typed on the computer. "You can look at the Factory if you really value my opinion, though."

She let out an aggravated sigh and then left the room. They needed for everyone to be together. Jeremie thought that he finally had a way to bring William back and that was a pretty big priority. She decided to check the Factory.

-Odd-

He raced through the Forest Sector as he tried to find where Xylia was. He didn't remember exactly where she'd said that she would be, but he knew he'd find her eventually.

"Odd… What a strange name… I never thought I'd see her fall for someone…" a creepy sounding voice said behind him.

He spun around and came face to face with a young boy. He had white hair with flecks of red and black in it. He wore a black jacket with a thin white line running down the tops of the arms. Where the zipper sat also had white lines on either side. He was wearing jeans.

"Who're you to be calling my name strange when you _look_ strange?" he asked as he placed his hands on his hips and flicked his tail back and forth. It was a concentration thing of his.

"I'm your worst nightmare…" the boy whispered almost inaudibly as he cocked his head to side and added, "She's here to ruin my fun…"

Odd looked from the boy to behind him and back again. He didn't see anything. He looked toward where the boy was standing and saw the black, soulless look in his eyes.

"Odd! Get away from him!" Xylia yelled as she came into view a bit away from the two.

The boy laughed and waved at the girl, his head still cocked to the side. "The game has just begun…"

Odd looked back to see Xylia halfway there and turned back to ask the boy what he meant, but he'd already disappeared.

"Are you alright?" Xylia asked as she neared him.

He shrugged. "Been better emotionally, but he didn't do anything to me… Who was that?"

She looked down at the ground nervously and scratched the back of her head. "Well… That was… He's… well…" she cleared her throat and began again," That was my little brother… Just, please don't get the wrong idea, okay? He's really sweet when he's not like…this," she stated as her eyebrows creased in worry. She bit her lip. "What did your friends say?"

Odd hated to make matters worse and make Xylia more upset, but he knew he had to tell her. "They said that we can't trust you… I tried to stick up for you, but…"

-Xylia-

If she were on Earth at this moment, she knew she'd be crying. "This isn't fair… I'm going to lose everything that's important to me… I've already lost my life… I've been trapped here for ten years, Odd… Ten years! I want my life back… I want my parents back… Please Odd… Help me…" she said as she broke down in what was the Lyoko version of crying.

She felt a tight hold on her shoulders and looked to see Odd holding her tightly. "I told you before… I trust you. I don't believe you're evil or any of that junk. We've just got to convince my friends…"

She nodded and hugged him back. "Odd… I just hope it doesn't end up being too late…"

He nodded as Yumi's voice rang through Lyoko. "Odd, you're a heartless jerk, you know that?"

"And why do you say that?" he yelled back, still holding onto Xylia tightly.

"Did Ulrich just forget to tell you that he's being forced to become a day student and is leaving soon? Or that he doesn't want to go? And did you miss the parts where Jeremie might have found a way to save William and we told you to give it a few days?" she yelled.

-Ulrich-

He tried to calm her, but to no avail. He couldn't tell her he hadn't had a chance to tell Odd.

"You had better get back on Earth right now!" she yelled into the mike, right next to Jeremie's ear.

"Thank you for the informative yelling in my ear," Jeremie said in a sarcastic tone.

"Sorry," she said, still not happy with current happening.

Ulrich sighed and watched as his two friends argued. He'd heard everything that happened yesterday and he'd decided to side with Odd. He'd had some good points.

"What the hell do you mean you're not coming back, Odd?" Jeremie yelled into the microphone.

All heads turned toward the supercomputer as the conversation heated up.

_**A/N: Late. Late, late, late. : ( I am ashamed of myself. D: I shouldn't have been watching that stupid TV. Blame television! XD Anyway, I'll try to find the picture that's based off Xylia's brother and either put it as my profile pic (not likely) or put a link in the next chapter. XD He's kinda creepy lookin'. XD Anyway, I think the next few chapters will focus on Ulrich. P:**_

_** Read and review, people! I know more are there! X3**_


	6. Happenings

_**Happenings**_

_** A/N: Alright, so I found that picture for you guys. ^-^ Pretty sure it's a fanart, considering it says it's for an RP. XD Anyway, here's the link –just add the indicated symbol or take away parenthesis- **__http:/media(dot)photobucket(dot)com(/)image(/)white%20hair%20anime%20boy(/)zexionfangirl66(/)Decorated%20images(/)?o=57_

_**Anyway, what do you guys think of the looks into Ulrich's past? I'm going to have to type more of those up… XD Oh, by the way, this fic takes places right after the episode Distant Memory.**_

_** Onward to the action and away from my babbling! -^- XD**_

___Ulrich was four. He didn't know what was going on. All he knew was that Daddy was mad and was hitting Mommy. He could work his legs and was forced to watch with a tear-stained face._

_ "Daddy! Stop!" Ulrich yelled from behind the couch, where he'd taken refuge._

_ "Ulrich, please! Go to your room!" his mother yelled to him between punches._

_ "You better stay right where you are!" his father threatened as the beating continued. "You're next."_

_ Ulrich shuddered and ran for his room. His feet padded against the ground and he made it to the door only to be stopped by his father, who raised him above the floor. "I told you to stay where you were at!"_

_ He squeezed his eyes shut as his dad's fist made impact with his face._

Ulrich covered his head as their fighting continued. Yumi and Jeremie were yelling at Odd to return back and he was refusing adamantly.

"We don't even know what might happen to your body if you're on Lyoko for a long time," Jeremie stated firmly as he resisted the urge to type the code that would de-virtualize Odd.

Ulrich couldn't hear the other side of the conversation, but guessed that Odd had some argument to come back with.

"That isn't going to work, Odd," Jeremie replied, trying to stay calm and rubbing his temple.

Yumi pursed her lips and yelled, "Odd! You need to be here for Ulrich! You know he's bummed about becoming a day student, at least now you do, and you've got to be worried just like the rest of us!"

Ulrich felt like being alone, so he snuck off and up the ladder while Yumi, Jeremie, and Aelita weren't looking.

-Odd-  
"Jeremie, Xylia needs our help! She can't do this without us!" Odd yelled back, while trying to calm Xylia. She looked like she was going to fall apart again.

"I know you care about her, Odd, but you can't just leave us behind. We need your help with Ulrich. We're all worried about him and he needs us," Jeremie told him.

He could hear Yumi fuming in the background. He hugged Xylia tightly again and then said, "You could at least give her a chance! Not everyone is a William!"

"And not everyone isn't a William. Jeremie, you could at least try to give her a chance…" Odd said as Xylia began to calm down.

"Odd, you have to go… You and I aren't enough to stop him… Even if we did find my uncle, my brother would still target you… I'll find a way to show my worth to your friends…" she whispered, standing upright and giving Odd a weak smile.

"You should listen to her, Odd," Yumi said bitterly.

-Ulrich-

He looked around the old, run-down room from the piano bench. It had been an old music classroom, but then the budget got cut and the music class was cut. They still kept everything in the room, though, in case something changed and they might be able to hold lessons again. When he was younger, his mom had tried so many different methods to keep Ulrich out of his father's reach and one had been piano lessons. His dad had viewed them as worthless and barely clapped when Ulrich had memorized a really difficult piece and got it during his recital. Yeah, you could see it was girly, but he didn't care.

He brushed his fingers against the keys and slowly, but steadily began playing Mystery Girl (A/N: refer to the episode Seeing Is Believing. Pop Rock Progressive's one and only song and Ulrich played the keyboard. XD). It wasn't as good as it would have sounded on a keyboard, but it still sounded decent and he was glad that he could still play.

From that moment on, this would be his secret hide-out. No one except for him would know about it and he'd make sure of it. It would be his place to get away from everything around him and just relax.

-Xylia-

As soon as Odd was de-virtualized she ran toward the tower and didn't stop. She knew where that William kid was and, if she'd told Odd he probably would have objected and never gone back, she was going to save him.

It would be an easy enough feat. She just needed to get him to a Way Tower…

-Aelita-

She sighed as she watched her three friends argue. Ever since Odd had gotten back from Lyoko, about twenty minutes ago, Yumi and Jeremie had taken turns yelling at Odd. When one was done yelling the other would start up again and then the first would barge in and the cycle repeated. She was getting tired of it and turned toward where Ulrich had been sitting and realized he wasn't there. "Uh… Guys?"

"How could you be so thoughtless?" Yumi yelled in Odd's face.

"This is hopeless…" Aelita sighed as she watched Odd get on his tip-toes and scream in Yumi's face. She walked over to the supercomputer, typed in a few codes, and waited. After a minute a loud, high-pitched whistling noise came from the computer and made the three cease fighting and turned toward her.

-Xylia-

She twisted to the left as William stabbed his sword at the spot she'd been in moments ago. "You'll never catch me that way," she stated with a small laugh as she sprung forward and over the boy's head.

William spun around to face her and stabbed his sword quickly forward again, missing Xylia by inches.

"Stabbing, swinging, whacking won't work on me," she stated. "I've been on Lyoko a lot longer than you have and I know all its secrets."

William stood up straight and rolled his shoulders before walking toward Xylia. He snapped his arm to level with the floor, his palm facing out. He laughed and a black mist enveloped Xylia.

Xylia squirmed and somehow got free and threw her one and only weapon, daggers, at William. She was trying and failing to get him to retreat backwards towards the tower she'd arrived from.

He ducked and swerved to avoid the oncoming daggers and, when finally close enough, he swung his sword and nearly hit Xylia had it not been for a small dagger that stabbed itself into his side and rendered him incapable of movement.

"Well, for a guy like you I would've thought you'd put up a better fight," she said as she looked around. "Hey! Anybody up there!" She waited a second and when no replied came she created a small, green cloud-like thing that picked up William and carried him to the tower. "The less they know, the better…" she whispered to herself as she and William entered the tower.

_**Xylia is becoming quite the interesting character, isn't she? XD You'll learn more about her soon enough, don't worry. XD In my opinion this story is really starting to pick up. I'll probably have a filler chapter here and there at some point just to show other things beside Odd and Ulrich's predicaments and to build on suspense. You won't know when they're coming, but they will and you'd better read them or you might be lost on the next chapter. XDD**_

_** Read and review!**_

_**~MoonlitxAngel**_

_**P.S. Thank you Shikamaru123456789 for the nice comment. X3**_


	7. Keep My Secret

_**Keep My Secret**_

_** A/N: I'm baaack! And have been told that my link didn't work, so I'm going to tell you how to get to the picture (blame photobucket). Okay, go to photobucket(dot)com and in the search box type in exactly: white hair anime boy . Go to the four page and it's in the third one down, first in the row. So, I think it'd be first column and third row… lol. Thanks for the reviews! X3**_

_** Onto the story! ^-^**_

_Ulrich covered his arms with a long sleeved shirt and frowned into the mirror. His face had completely healed from the beatings it had taken and everywhere else that was visible with clothes on had healed. His dad didn't want anyone knowing about the abuse and Ulrich would keep it that way…or else… He was a worthless child and didn't even know why his father continued to let him live… He was useless and horrible._

_ His mom ran into the room and hugged him tightly. She held back tears. "I'm glad you're going back to school… It should keep you away from your father… Don't worry about me…"_

_ "I can't help but worry… He might end up killing you…"_

_ She shook her head. "I doubt that… He won't kill either of us… Too much evidence pointing toward him…"_

_ "Then why not kill ourselves?"_

_ "He'd just find others to harm… Keep a strong face on during school…"_

_ He nodded. From that moment on he knew he'd have to keep his mouth shut… He didn't deserve speech anyway._

Ulrich covered the keys of the piano as the memory flooded into his mind. That was when he was returning to Kadic after this break. A worthless being wasn't meant to have speech and that is exactly what Ulrich was. A worthless piece of crap. He leaned his head against the keys' covering and frowned.

-?-

"You said that you'd help me get my revenge!" Xylia's brother yelled to a black and red form.

The thing bobbed up and down as if it were laughing.

"You can't do this to me!" he yelled as he crumpled on the floor of Carthage. Since the red and black mass had left him he looked like his normal self. He looked as if he were on Earth. His hair was pure white, like his sister's, and his jacket and hat had gone from black to a forest green with a tint of brown mixed with white. He was a mess.

The blob floated off and locked him into the small alcove that he'd brought him to.

He slammed his fist against the floor and wished that the stupid thing would come back. Yes, it was a virus. Yes, viruses were bad. And finally, yes. He was desperate enough to help a virus if he got what he wanted out of it. His uncle was the reason he'd been locked here for the past ten years. Him and his stupid experiment. His sister had come to terms with it and had even started to believe it had been an accident. He knew the truth.

-Xylia-

She hugged her knees to her chest and frowned at the boy in front of her. He didn't seem too different from her brother. He wanted something and to get it he did everything. He didn't end up getting what he wanted, though, because of a careless mistake that he made on Lyoko that had left him trapped. She knew his story. Back when her brother was able to force her to follow him all the time he'd bragged about it to the boy. She thought his name was… William, yeah, that was it. She wished that she could disappear in a puff of smoke as the ebony-haired teen woke up.

"What happened?" he asked as he sat up from the laying position Xylia had put him in.

"You know about Lyoko, right? You remember that much?" she whispered shyly. In ten years, the only people she'd ever talked to were her brother, her uncle, Odd's friends once, and Odd. She didn't feel comfortable talking to anyone that wasn't her brother, Odd, or her uncle. It felt awkward.

He nodded slowly. "I remember bits and pieces of what happened after Xana possessed me…"

She shook her head. "Trust me, it wasn't Xana… Xana is actually pretty nice…"

"What are you talking about?" he asked as he rubbed his head.

She shook her head and looked at her feet. If she revealed too much it would destroy everything she was working toward… "I can't tell you right now… Please don't tell your friends about what I just told you, okay?"

William looked at her skeptically and tried to figure out how to word his question.

-Aelita-

"We all work well together when we're not fighting and ignoring people, aren't we?" she asked with a hint of anger in her voice. She wasn't very happy with the three of them. They'd begun fighting and Ulrich had disappeared. He'd been really fidget-y ever since returning from break and seemed to want to avoid in confrontation.

"Aelita, I'm sorry…" Jeremie whispered from behind her. He didn't really take kindly to Aelita being as mad as she was now. They all hated to see her mad.

"Save it. Our friend is in trouble and needs us and you guys were fighting over some girl on Lyoko. Odd, I know you want to help her, but come back to Earth. Something is going on with Ulrich and we need to help him. He's our friend and we can't just abandon him. Jeremie and Yumi, aren't you better than yelling at people to get your way? We need to think before we do anything. We're becoming divided and I want to trust Xylia, but with all this trouble in our group going on ever since we've met her I don't think I can. Now, are we going to help Ulrich or am I by myself?" she asked hotly after she'd spun around on her heels.

-Odd-

He'd never seen Aelita this angry before. Yeah, she'd definitely been angry, but nothing like this. It kind of scared him… "Aelita… We're sorry, okay? I don't think any of us were really thinking…"

Jeremie and Yumi nodded beside him. He doubted either of them liked being chastised by Aelita.

"Good, before anything else we need to figure out how we're going to help Ulrich. You guys can go back to your argument after that," she stated, softening her gaze.

"So, any ideas where he might be?" Odd asked his three friends as he looked around.

"I think that we should check your room first, Odd. If he's not there then we'll split into two groups and search around the forest and in the school. Sound fair?" Yumi asked, eyeing their small group and giving a small smile.

They nodded.

-Ulrich-

He gazed up at the elegant two-story home that his mom had told him his dad bought. He couldn't figure out why they needed a two-story house since it was just the three of them, but hoped he didn't have other things in mind.

The house itself looked inviting. It wasn't too big or too small. The sign in the front yard read 'SOLD' and would be moved out of the yard once his parents got there tomorrow. Day after tomorrow he'd be moving in with them. He knew it was something that he had to do, but was afraid of the outcome… Would his dad kill him? Would, if his dad succeeded in killing him, go after Yumi and his other friends? How would he know they're safe?

-Xylia-

"What exactly are you? Who are you? How did you get here?" he asked. He wanted to ask it all in one question, but one question couldn't handle it.

"William, you have to promise me deep at the bottom of your heart that you won't breathe a word of this to anyone…" she whispered as she thought of how to word her reply.

"I swear," he stated firmly as he leaned in toward her to examine her face.

"I guess the best way to answer your three questions is that I'm Xana…"

_**A/N: big cliffy, huh? XD Don't worry, you'll get more explanation of what Xylia is talking about soon… Either next chapter or a few after that. X3 Don't worry, though. She's still one of the good guys. ^-^**_

_**Thanks for all the reviews!**_

_**Read and review!**_

_**~MoonlitxAngel**_


	8. Anniversary

_**Anniversary**_

_** A/N: Well, I'm sick. D: I've got this really bad cold, though I should have known it was coming. Clue number one, I've had a stuffed up nose all winter. Ever since the middle of December. Clue number 2, I have a big family and two people were sick this past week. Pretty easy to understand why I'm sick now, right? XD So anyway, thank you again awesome people who review and read and favorite and alert and such. X3 People who are just reading this and not reviewing—please review. I want to know what you all think. Your opinion really does matter. Reviewers-I love you guys! X3**_

_** Onward my friends!**_

_Ulrich squirmed under his father's grip. He'd been pinned against the wall by his father's hands. Ulrich had said something that he didn't like and he decided to choke him. He didn't know if he'd make it…_

_ "Johan, please stop! He's sorry!" his mother yelled from the opposite end of the room, not daring to get too close in case he used Ulrich against her._

_ "He needs to learn a lesson," his father spat as Ulrich continued struggling as he felt the blood rushing to his face from lack of oxygen._

_ "He's learned it! Please, you're going to kill him!" she screeched._

_ His father's hand loosened and finally, after what felt like years and was only minutes, his father's hand removed itself from his neck._

_ Ulrich gasped for breath as tears stun at the corners of his eyes. He fell to his knees because his legs felt like jelly._

_ "Don't take your anger out on him… If you must, take it out on me…" she whispered as she carefully picked her way toward his dad._

_ "No! Mom, don't do that!" Ulrich yelled as his dad faced her._

_ "Ulrich, go to your room," she commanded._

_ She had never been so harsh with him before…_

Ulrich sobbed into his pillow. It was the middle of the night. Once his friends had found him they'd berated him with questions and finally gave up and let him go to bed. He rolled over and noticed that it was only three in the morning. Four more hours until breakfast. Why did everything have to be against him? He decided to go play the piano again. It was in a sound-proof room and he'd gotten a lock on the door so no one else could go in.

-Xylia-

She'd sent William as his way a few hours earlier. She'd been the one to devirtualize him. He had needed to be knocked down a couple notches. She wished that Odd was here to talk to her… Was it fair that his friends didn't trust her? No. She hadn't done anything wrong. Her uncle may be part of the reason that she was stuck in the predicament that she was in, but that virus was the majority.

-?-

"Please let me out!" he shouted as he pounded his eight year old fists against the wall that was blocking the exit. He could see perfectly through it and saw the virus commanding an army of monsters. His sister's creations. She had created the monsters and the virus got a hold of them and made them do its bidding. This wasn't fair at all.

He tried to hold it together, but it all came tumbling out. He began to cry. Well, cry as well as you could on Lyoko. He knew his parents had long given up the search for him and Xylia… He hated this… If his calculations were correct, and they usually were, today was the anniversary of the exact day that this whole mess had started… Meaning that yesterday he would have turned eighteen had they been on Earth the whole time.

He wished that he could take back everything that he and Xylia had said to their parents the day that this started… They'd told their parents off for being so bothersome and had gone to the park to play anyway. Xylia had always done what he wanted back then. He did the same for her because their parents were gone so much. If only they hadn't followed their cousin… This whole mess wouldn't have ever happened… Diana and Carson Aders were looking for their two children, Xylia Jeanette Aders and Rhys Julian Aders. He couldn't believe it when he'd read _that_ particular piece of information on the web…

-Odd-

He stretched and yawned as Jeremie continued speaking. It was seven in the morning and William had come to Jeremie's room.

"I'm telling you, this girl with white hair named Xylia showed up and told me that I was free to go! She said she'd saved me or something," William stated, glaring down at Jeremie.

"I'm hungry!" Odd complained as he rolled around on his back and hung his head off the side of the bed.

Aelita sighed, but nodded. "I am, too. Let's figure this out after breakfast. We've got enough to worry about and we need to get this figured out so that we can get back to other matters."

"I'll call Yumi and wait for her out front. Odd, you can have my food," Jeremie stated at the same time William said, "You all go to lunch. I wait for Yumi to come by after one of you calls her. I'm not all that hungry."

Aelita grabbed Jeremie's arm and dragged him toward the cafeteria with Odd following closely.

-Ulrich-

He'd kept silent the whole time, but glared at William as he left the room… William was keeping something from them…

-Yumi-

She raced toward the school with her backpack flying around behind her. She'd decided to bring her backpack so that she could show Ulrich some drawings she'd decided to do since she thought he might like them.

"Hey Yumi…" a familiar voice said from near the gate's opening.

She spun around to face William Dunbar. "What do you want?" she asked, the venom dripping from her voice as she remembered the last time "William" had returned.

"I'm here to make peace… Some girl named Xylia saved me… I really don't think that Xana is our problem anymore…" he whispered.

She could tell that William was up to something and she was determined to find out what so she raised a slender eyebrow in confusion.

"When Xylia saved me she told me who she really is… Do you want to know?" he asked as he leaned against the metal bars of the sign near the entrance to the school.

_**A/N: OoO Gasp! And he promised he wouldn't tell! XD So, do you think he'll tell or not? XD This is posted yesterday in my mind. XD Don't ask. Long story. XD**_

_** So, now we know Xylia and her brother, Rhys, are both in a pretty difficult situation. Need a re-cap next chapter? XD**_

_** Read and review! X3**_

_**~MoonlitxAngel**_


	9. Whisper

_**Whisper**_

_** A/N: The author's cold is still here. She is not happy about this information. It really sucks. Dx It's a bit better than yesterday, though, so I'm alright. I felt like going between third person and first person, okay? XD**_

___Ulrich crouched in the small alcove he used for safety. Yes, he was getting big for it. Yes, he didn't like being cramped inside. He knew he had to do it so that he could hear what was going on…_

_ "Don't give the boy false hope!" his father screamed._

_ Ulrich almost laughed at the comment. His father, the one who was beating them and telling them how worthless they were, was telling his mother about giving him false hope. It was quite ironic if you looked._

_ "It's not a false hope! When you're on a business trip and it's quiet around the house he gets to study and then he gets good grades on his homework or a quiz that day!" his mother had yelled. He wished that she hadn't, though._

_ "You little bitch… Are you saying that his grades are my fault? That everything that's wrong with this family is my fault?" he screamed. Crashing and screaming ensued._

_ Of course, his dad was dead-on. It was his fault for everything wrong. Life had normality when his mother and he were the only ones in the house. He didn't dare tell him that, though. He heard his mother whimper and assumed she'd shook her head sharply._

_ Too late. He heard a smacking noise that seemed to reverberate in his ears and then a scream._

"Earth to Ulrich! Ulrich! Hey!" Odd yelled, waving his hand in front of Ulrich's face and yelling as they sat at breakfast.

Ulrich shook his head to erase the memory from his mind and nodded. He looked down at his food and then at Odd apologetically and then shoved the food to Odd. He'd lost his appetite.

Odd rested his head on his hands and stared at the food and then at Ulrich. "Hey, do you want to hang-out today? Like, all of us? With you leaving to live with your parents soon I think it'll be nice to just hang-out in town or around here."

Ulrich looked to Jeremie and Aelita who nodded at the same time. He assumed that they'd planned this and thought it over. It would be nice to do, but would it cause problems? He knew his parents were moving in today. So, today or tomorrow he'd move in with them. He knew his dad was going to have to be extra careful or Ulrich was going to have to make up really good excuses for all the cuts and bruises.

-Yumi-

"Wouldn't be you, would it?" she asked smartly as she crossed her arms against her chest.

"Like I said, Xylia freed me. I'm not sure how, but she did," William stated, looking straight into Yumi's eyes.

She looked back and didn't see the Xana symbol. "I've got enough to worry about without you messing with my head."

"Who said I was messing with our head? I want your trust back, Yumi. More than anything I want your trust…" he said as he walked up closer to her.

She could feel that something wasn't right… "Fine. But make it quick because the others are expecting me."

"It really hasn't been Xana all along… There's this virus that's gotten onto Lyoko and is using Xana as its focus to do all this. Xana is Xylia. She told me so," he stated, whispering the last bit in Yumi's ear.

-Xylia-

"Stop it!" she yelled to her monsters as they followed her. She should have known the stupid virus was going to take control of them again, but she didn't think it would be so soon. "I'm not strong enough yet for you to do anything with!"

The monsters that surrounded her; which included: a krab, six hornets, three bloks, and two megatanks; sat still and silent as if waiting for something.

She could tell, deep down in her gut, that something had gone wrong somewhere…

-Aelita-

"How can you be close minded?" Odd yelled at Yumi. "You don't even know her and now you're accusing her of being this evil thing that even William said she wasn't?"

"So now you're taking William's side? How do we even know we can trust him? This has happened before if you don't remember!" Yumi yelled back at Odd.

Aelita looked at her shoes and sighed. She knew that Odd and William were more than likely right. It would explain a lot of things that she had wondered about Xylia. She couldn't get them to listen to her, though.

"You. Don't. Even. Know. Her!" Odd yelled back. "How would you know if Xana really is evil? All we know is what Franz told us! How do we know there wasn't a mistake in the programming or that, no offense meant, that Franz is playing some weird game with us?"

"It's not some weird game, Odd," Jeremie stated before Yumi lunged toward him.

She pinned him against the wall and said, "Don't even go there, Odd. I trust Franz Hopper more than I trust her. We barely know her."

Odd could see Ulrich shudder out of the corner of his eye and knew that his friend was hurting at this moment in some way. "We barely know Franz, either."

"This is getting us no where!" Aelita exclaimed before anyone else could say anything. "You realize what's happening to us? We're all getting paranoid. Our enemy is probably having a field day."

"I don't doubt that Xana would do something like this," Yumi stated bluntly as she backed off Odd and went back across the room.

Odd sat next to Ulrich and then said, "You mean our enemy. Xana may not be what we once thought it was."

Yumi growled as Jeremie began typing things into his computer.

"We shouldn't be fighting like this. Can't we approach this is a civil manner? We don't want to lose ourselves fighting now, do we?" Aelita asked standing up and walking to the middle of the room.

"I'd rather argue my point. It's the only thing that'll get through Odd's thick skull," Yumi stated angrily.

"Who else is in favor of Odd's opinion of Xylia being given the benefit of the doubt?" Jeremie asked suddenly.

Aelita raised her hand and waited patiently. No one else followed suit.

"Then I assume the rest of you don't think we should. There, we voted in a civil manner," Jeremie stated.

"I'm going on a walk," Odd stated shortly and then left the room.

(*)(*)(*)(*) Later That Evening—Forest Around School (*)(*)(*)(*)

-Ulrich-

He hugged his knees tightly to his chest and sobbed. His parents were coming to get him first thing in the morning, he'd found out. He loved his mother to death, but didn't want to see her panic-stricken expression when Ulrich got into the car.

He heard leaves crunching and tensed as someone else entered the area he was in.

"Ulrich…? Are you alright? What's wrong…?" the person asked.

He looked up to see Aelita's gentle face as she came to sit next to him.

"Things will get figured out, okay…?" she asked as she stroked his hair, trying to calm him.

Considering Aelita always saw them as a family Ulrich felt like they were more his family then his father was. The two women in their little group were very maternal. They were sweet when they wanted to be… He felt safe with Aelita. He knew he needed it…

"Things will go back to some sort of normality soon…" she whispered to him as she hugged him tightly.

"Aelita… I-I d-don't know what to d-do…" he sobbed. His voice was a little crack-y from not being used for a few days, but he was glad he could get that much out… "I'm scared…"

Aelita looked shocked and then she began to comfort him with renewed vigor.

-Odd-

He wondered where Aelita could be. She was supposed to be here…

"Help!" Xylia yelled from somewhere closeby.

Odd took off in a run toward the direction of the cry and saw her surrounded by some of the monsters.

_**A/N: Seems like a decent place to stop to me. XD Don't worry, Ulrich still won't be talking much. XDD Anyway, this is just about toward what I imagine to be the middle of the story. XD Though, I may be wrong. XD**_

_** Read and review!**_

_**And for those who read a few chapters at a time and then review the last one, do you think you could review every chapter you read? I want to know what you think. X3**_

_**~MoonlitxAngel**_


	10. Seeing the World Again

_**Seeing the World Again**_

_** A/N: My cold is still here. Tormenting me. Dx I had to get up early-ish today and then I was half-asleep on the couch for an hour before the medicine I had to take finally kicked in. D: And now I swear it's melting my brain. XD Hopefully my mom will get me to the doctor tomorrow. X3**_

_** Anyway, to the next chapter!**_

_Ulrich choked back a sob as his mother bandaged his torso._

_ "It's over… It's alright, baby…" she whispered soothingly._

_ A few minutes ago had been when it all had went down… They'd been in the kitchen and his dad had been beating his mom again. Ulrich had come in and hidden himself and when his dad had spotted him it hadn't been pretty… He'd snatched the thing that was closest to him, a cheese grater, and began walking toward Ulrich. Ulrich had attempted to run, but had his shirt ripped off and the cheese grater used on his bare skin. He'd thrown up moments ago just thinking about it…_

_ His mother ran her fingers through his hair and continued talking to him soothingly… "One day I'll get you out of here… I'll save you from this…"_

_ "I won't go if you're not with me…" he'd whispered back as he sobbed._

_ "You're younger than I am… You still have a full life to live… As long as you make it out alive I'll be happy…" she whispered as he leaned his head against her shoulder and they hugged._

_ "It doesn't matter… I love you and I won't let you suffer alone…" he told her sternly as tears continued to cascade down his cheeks._

_ "I love you and that's why you'll go…" she told him, kissing his forehead. "Your father is gone for a few days on a trip so you've got some time to recuperate…"_

Ulrich sobbed into Aelita's shoulders as the painful memories kept washing over him… He wished that he could tell her… Sometimes he felt like his dad was keeping tabs on him. If it weren't for that feeling then he'd tell Aelita everything… He'd show her all of the bruises and scars and burn marks covering his torso, arms, and legs.

"You'll be alright, Ulrich… Everything is going to be fine…" Aelita whispered to him as she held him as his mother had that day. "You can talk to us, you know… If something is bothering you then just tell us…"

"C-C-Can't…" he choked out. He father's threats hung in his mind… _You tell anyone and I'll kill you're mother… Don't you dare, for one second, think I won't…_ He shuddered and punched the ground. He couldn't take this anymore…

-Xylia-

She panted and turned back to watch the action take place where she had been moments ago… Odd was twirling, jumping, and dodging every laser the monsters threw at him and when all was said and done he defeated them all… "Odd!"

He looked over at her and smiled. It was a pretty re-assuring smile, too. He ran toward her and gave her a huge hug. "I've convinced one of them!"

"You convinced one of your friends?" she asked excitedly, hugging him back.

He nodded and then said, "She was supposed to meet me at the factory, but hasn't shown up yet. When I got there I decided to check the screen on the supercomputer and I saw you and all those monsters so I came to help. Aelita's got a great plan, too."

Aelita… Why did that name sound familiar to her… She knew her uncle… Not his name, but she knew him as the floating orb that sometimes came on to Lyoko… "What's her plan?"

"Well, have you ever been off Lyoko since you were trapped here?"

She shook her head. "I can't leave Carthage much… See, my body needs to kind of charge… I guess you could call it that… Anyway, if I don't in a certain amount of time my body shuts down and I can't do anything, though I'm aware of what's happening, until I'm back in Carthage and have charged for a bit… I think the maximum time that I could be gone from Carthage now would be…" she thought about the answer and then did some Math in her head. "It would probably be about five hours…"

"That should be enough time for Aelita's plan to work!" he shouted, pumping his fist into the air. "See, Aelita was thinking that if Jeremie and Yumi could talk to you face-to-face, with her and me there of course, that they might be able to trust you."

This was a bit much for her. She'd already wondered out of her comfort zone in talking to William… Maybe it would be better with Odd there to support her. She nodded hesitantly. "I'll do it…"

"I'll go back and call Aelita and see where she is and then I'll find the program on the computer," he told her excited. "Now… Will you devirtualize me?"

She nodded and did as he asked, praying that he could make this all work out.

(*)(*)(*)(*) In the Morning (*)(*)(*)(*)

-Odd-

"It's done, Odd," Aelita stated drowsily from the supercomputer chair, spinning around to face the eccentric blonde.

He took the headset and yelled into the microphone, "Are you ready, Xylia?"

She waited a moment and then said, "I'm ready to go…"

"Alright, you're in a tower, right?" he asked her as he got adjusted so Aelita could initiate the program when she was ready.

"Yes," she replied curly.

Odd grinned at Aelita as she began entering the codes.

-Aelita-

She'd hated leaving Ulrich in the state he was in. He'd been sobbing so hard that she'd had to drag him back to the dorm room and when she finally got him there he cried into the pillow. She was definitely going to check up on the brunette when they got done here. Odd could show Xylia around…

"I'll go wait for her down at the scanners," Odd said quickly before dashing across the floor and into the elevator.

"The program is going so she should be down there soon!" she yelled as she dialed Ulrich phone.

He picked up as soon as Odd replied. "Hmm?"

"I'm going to be headed back to the school soon… I'll be stopping by your room so you should try to be out of bed, okay?" she asked the program completed and she heard the scanner open.

"Yeah… Bye," he replied and then hung up.

-Xylia-

She slowly opened her eyes as they adjusted to the lights… The first face she saw was Odd's. She took his hand when he offered it and shakily stood up… "So, this old factory hasn't changed much since I was last in it…"

"Doesn't seem like it. I've seen video diary entries of Franz Hopper's where he's sitting at the supercomputer and they look identical, though I guess it's to be expected…"

Another name that sounded familiar… Franz… Franz and Aelita… How was it all connected?  
-Rhys-

The day that they were taken captive in this virtual world he knew that when they'd seen their cousin it wasn't really her… It was some clone or something because she hadn't known anything about the supercomputer… His dad had and warned them not to go near Uncle  
Franz. Did they listen? No. They went to where they knew the supercomputer was and when they realized no one was there they looked around and ended up in the scanners. In the scanners that him and his sister had stepped into something was sitting at the bottom. It was something for the AI, Xana, to be formed from. Now, because of their uncle, they were one with this AI Xana and the virus he'd accidentally created while making Xana could get them…

_**A/N: So now you know a bit more. XD The next two chapters will lead up to the part I've been the most excited for. X3 Odd does something and he ends up not being able to get himself out before something bad happens… :D**_

_** Read and review!**_

_**~MoonlitxAngel**_


	11. Race

_**Race**_

_** A/N: No memory this time. XD Two reasons: One, I still need to write more up and get the recent ones down on my list so I don't do the same thing again. Two, we've had them for nine straight chapters. XD**_

_** Onward to the story! X3**_

"I'm headed back to school! It's just about six-thirty so you should hurry or you'll miss breakfast!" Aelita yelled down the two as she readied herself to get into the elevator.

"Don't leave without us!" Odd shouted, clambering up the ladder and waiting for Xylia. "She just got the hang of walking!"

"Just enough that I don't look like a complete and total goof. I'm still pretty clumsy," Xylia said as she shakily took Odd's hand and was lifted into the supercomputer room. "Thanks for everything you guys are doing for me…"

Aelita nodded to her and entered the elevator as it opened.

Xylia and Odd followed closely behind.

"Now Odd, you and Xylia should probably let me do all the talking. Odd, you just go straight to the cafeteria when we get there. I'll take Xylia to you and Ulrich's room and see if he's up and out of bed and then we'll meet you there," Aelita told him in a commanding tone.

Odd saluted and dashed as soon as the elevator opened its metal mouth to let the three teens pass.

Xylia giggled and then looked to Aelita and hugged her. "You don't know how much this means to me, Aelita… We've got to stay off the roads, though. And Mr. Delmas can't be allowed to see me at all. Everything I remember from before is fuzzy, but I do know that I attended Kadic with my cousin and my uncle worked there. Mr. Delmas would probably recognize me and have a heart attack."

Aelita nodded as the two walked toward the sewer.

-Jeremie-

It was a few minutes after breakfast had begun and he was the only one at their table. He began to work on a program underneath the table and didn't realize it when Odd came up and sat down.

"Hey Jeremie, boy are you going to be surprised soon!" Odd exclaimed before shoveling food into his vacuum of a mouth.

Jeremie looked up at Odd and raised his eyebrow as Aelita popped her head into the room, looked around, and then left again.

"You'll see soon…" he stated after he'd swallowed before shoveling more food in. "Just keep working on that program…"

Jeremie gave him one last quizzical look before returning to the program and not a minute later was he interrupted by Aelita, Ulrich, and someone else coming up to the table.

"Jeremie, I'd like for you to meet someone," Aelita said from beside him.

He looked over at her and Aelita pointed across the table, right next to Ulrich.

-Xylia-

She looked up at Jeremie through her eyelashes and gave him a shy wave. Aelita and Odd had told her that they found out that William was sick today so, it gave her a chance to get to know Jeremie and have him get to know her. She extended her hand and said as clearly as she could, because her voice was shaking, "Hi… My name is Jeanette…"

She was glad that she and Odd had decided to call her that or else Jeremie would have picked up on it right away. Her middle name was used instead of her first.

"Nice to have you here at Kadic…" he said to her absent-mindedly.

"Hey Einstein, we're going to have to go to the front gate to see Ulrich off this morning. It's Sunday so there aren't any classes and his parents are getting him around nine, if I heard Delmas right," Odd stated as he looked over at her and smiled.

Xylia smiled back and then looked over at Ulrich. He hadn't touched a single thing on his plate and looked really down in the dumps.

After breakfast Aelita, Odd, and Jeremie went to go help Ulrich finish his packing and left Xylia to explore the school some more. She knew exactly where she wanted to go. When she'd gone to Kadic her favorite room had been the music classroom. Her parents had been really big on getting her into music and so she knew how to play most instruments. She was discouraged when she found the door locked.

(*)(*)(*)(*) A Few Hours Later (*)(*)(*)(*)

-Yumi-

She tore down the street, heading toward the school. She didn't want to miss Ulrich before he left because she planned to give him that drawing she hadn't been able to the other day. She'd worked really hard on the small drawing and she hoped that it might make him smile.

-Odd-

"Odd, I'll go with her back to the factory… Ulrich will definitely want you here more than me," Aelita stated as they carried on an almost silent conversation. Xylia's allotted time to be away from Carthage was just about at the point that she'd faint on the way there.

"You told me the other day that Ulrich spoke to you. That means that he trusts you more and needs you here more. Xylia also feels the most comfortable with me, so it'd be easier for me to go," Odd stated as he grabbed Xylia's hand.

Aelita sighed and nodded to let him know that she'd let him go with her and they raced off.

"I don't think we're going to make it, Odd…" Xylia whispered as they ran through the forest and to the sewers.

"If we don't I'll virtualize myself and make sure that I get you to Carthage. I'll definitely have to refer to Aelita's instructions because I need to send you directly to Carthage…" he stated as they got the man-hole.

Xylia nodded and the two were silent until they reached the Factory. "I've got about four minutes left and then I'll pass out."

Odd glanced back and forth, from the notes to the computer and back again. Once he finally got the last one in he raced down the ladder with Xylia and both were virtualized on Carthage…

(*)(*)(*)(*) Lyoko/Carthage (*)(*)(*)(*)

"I've been waiting for you to return…" a voice said behind Odd.

He spun around as he held Xylia, who had passed out seconds before transfer, on his back in a piggy-back style. "Why would that be?"

Rhys stood before him. He was back to being controlled by the virus. "I want you to help me…"

Odd glared and shook his head. "Like I'd ever help you!"

"I'll humor you… Let's make this a game… If you can get my sister to the core of Lyoko in three minutes, I'll leave you alone. If you can't then I'll take you prisoner…"

Odd didn't like the outcome he saw for this "game", but knew he had to take it or Rhys would do whatever he was planning anyway…

_**A/N: the next chapter is one that I've been looking forward to. XD Though, I think that another chapter'll beat that. XD**_

_** Read and review!**_

_**~MoonlitxAngel**_


	12. Zero to None

_**Zero to None**_

_** A/N: Okay, no memory this time either. XD Reasons are the ones from yesterday and the fact that I'm recovering from that cold and so just want to get on with the chapter. XD I'm not sure yet if there'll be one next chapter, either. XD More so stuff in the present happening. XD Thanks for the reviews, everyone! X3**_

_** Onto the chapter!**_

"Bringing monsters to a race isn't fair!" Odd yelled to Rhys as he raced for the core. He knew he'd have to find a different way in rather than their normal route since he didn't have a vehicle.

"Everything goes in my race!" Rhys yelled from atop a Manta. "I'm really enjoying watching you struggle…"

Odd shot off three laser arrows as Creepers appeared in front of them. "Oh, so adding monsters to the list of things that are holding me up is fair?"

Rhys laughed as he pulled up a timer and pointed at it, "You've only got a minute left!"

Odd snarled and pumped his legs harder. He knew he had to at least try to make it before his time ran out.

-Ulrich-

He sighed as his dad's car pulled up.

"Well, we'll see you tomorrow," Jeremie said as he patted Ulrich shoulder lightly.

"We'll make it work with Lyoko and you'll be alright, okay Ulrich?" Aelita asked him, giving him a quick hug along with a smile.

Ulrich gave her a small smile and waved at the two before he got into his parents' car. He pressed his forehead against the glass as his dad began speaking.

"When we get home you'll follow your mother up to your room and unpack. You won't leave your room until I call you downstairs. Is that perfectly clear?" his dad asked him.

Ulrich saw his dad look into the mirror as Ulrich nodded.

"Everything is going to be alright, honey…" his mom told him, turning around to face him and giving him a small smile.

Ulrich nodded. He knew that it wouldn't and she was just trying to keep up his resolve, but it wasn't working. Especially not with the cut that was running along his mother's jaw and the bruises on her eye and cheek.

"The house is still a mess so watch your steps when we get inside," his dad stated as they pulled into the driveway about six minutes later. "You'll have to walk about eight minutes to get to school in the morning so make sure you leave the house in enough time. I don't need you being late."

Ulrich grunted in reply and opened the door, grabbing his bags. When they got inside the floor was covered in packing peanuts, empty boxed, full boxes, and stuff that still wasn't placed. The majority of things that they owned were already placed, but a few things weren't.

He followed his mom up the stairs to his room and saw that all the boxes of his stuff from home had just been laid around the room haphazardly.

"Don't worry sweetie… Your father is going on a trip tomorrow and he won't be back for a few days so, unless that gets cancelled, we'll be good for a few days…" she told him hugging the brunette.

He gave a quick nod and hugged her back.

-Jeremie-

"So, what did you think of Jeanette?" Aelita asked him as the two walked to the factory to work on a program.

"She was nice… She kind of acted like she was hiding something and was really shy and clumsy, but other than that she was nice to be around," he replied.

"Jeremie, Jeanette was really Xylia. Odd materialized her here so that you might get a chance to know her. He really wanted to be there when Ulrich left, but he needed to get her back to Carthage so that she wouldn't pass out," Aelita stated as the wind began to pick up a bit.

"So you're saying that you guys went behind my back to prove your point?" he asked her, looking over in her direction and frowning.

"I'm sorry, but we had to... What Xylia has told Odd all has seemed to be fact. You can check her DNA and digital envelope and see that Xana is there and that there is a virus in her brother. I found his card this morning and didn't tell them."

Jeremie nodded and the two were silent the entire way to the factory.

-Xylia-

"Odd..." She whispered as her eyes slowly blinked open to reveal Odd on the ground of Carthage, along with her, and her brother standing over them.

"I'll be nice and I'll give you one day to see your friends once again because it may be a long time before you see them, if ever," Rhys told Odd with one of his deep-throated evil laughs. For an eight year old, he had a pretty deep voice. Though, that could be on account of the virus.

"Odd, what did you do…?" she whispered as consciousness gripped her once again.

"Your brother said that if I got you to the core of Lyoko in three minutes that he'd let me leave. If not, and if I refused, he'd take me as his prisoner…" he explained, looking at Xylia with sad eyes.

"There isn't a way to the core without some sort of vehicle or flying thing to get down there!" Xylia yelled at him as she got up and was going to lunge, but swayed.

"I would've given him a way to get down there had he even made it to the spot he needed to be to," Rhys said as he walked toward the two. "Odd, you have till four o'clock tomorrow to get back to Carthage and meet me here or else I'll kill Xylia." He grabbed his sister's arm and disappeared.

-Odd-

When he was devirtualized by Jeremie he gave him and Aelita a quick rundown of what had happened.

"So now you're going to be helping Rhys unless we can defeat him and get you back?" Aelita asked, the worry evident in her voice.

Odd nodded and stared at the floor. "And I can't just ditch meeting him where I'm supposed to because he has Xylia…"

"You've gotten yourself into quite the predicament, my friend," Jeremie stated as he typed on the supercomputer. "We'll try our best to get you back as soon as possible, though."

Odd nodded and leaned against the wall. "I'll probably tell Ulrich and Yumi tomorrow when they get here…"

_**A/N: I know it's shorter than the others, but oh well. XD I got what needed to be gotten across in the this chapter and the next one might be a bit longer. XD**_

_** Read and review!**_

_**~MoonlitxAngel**_


	13. One Warrior Down

_**One Warrior Down**_

_** A/N: Ack! Headaches suck! I would've had this out sooner had I not had one. D: I wish my brain would stop hurting… Anyway, thank you all for reviews, again, and I love you! X3 I feel as if you guys are losing interest, though… : ((**_

_** Onto the story!**_

Ulrich gritted his teeth and wrapped the once-white gauze around his torso. His dad's favorite kitchen utensil seemed to be that stupid cheese grater…

"I'll have something nice made for dinner, Ulrich…" his mom whispered hoarsely from his bed.

Ulrich had taken residence on the floor that night so that his mom could sleep soundly that night before his dad left at three a.m. kicking things around and cursing. He shook his head. He'd only speak to Aelita and his mom. "Don't worry about it… He nearly strangled you and I'm fine… I'll clean the house and make dinner… You do it for me when I'm beaten as bad as and worse than you so it's the least I can do when I get back…"

She nodded and whispered a word of thanks before he slung his messenger bag over his head and moved things so his mom had easy enough access to everywhere. He then proceeded down the stairs, cleared the way, and left for school. He knew perfectly well that he was going to be about five minutes late to first period.

-Rhys-

He was alone again. The virus had to leave him to make his plan to possess Odd, as William had been, without using Xana as his focal point. It was a different technique for each person that it was used on and it was difficult to ascertain exactly what Odd's way for it was.

_Rhys… You've turned into a monster…_ his sister's words echoed in his head. He wished that he didn't remember the exact details like her. For some reason she didn't remember much of anything that had happened on Earth and he did. She barely remembered who their uncle was. He didn't even think she knew his name…

-Xylia-

She wished that she could get to Earth to say good-bye to Odd… It would be a long time before Rhys allowed her near the blonde, if at all… She knew that Jeremie would find some way to get him back, but she didn't know how soon it would be and if it would work at all... She hated the fact that she didn't know… She resented her brother for doing this to her… Most of all, she hated that stupid virus that had come and ruined everything for her and her brother… It had been holding them captive here for ten years because its revenge on Franz Hopper, the creator of the supercomputer. She wasn't exactly sure, but she knew that it was his fault the virus was there…

She sighed and looked up at the virtual sky…

-Ulrich-

"You what now, Odd?" Yumi asked, the anger dripping from her every word.

"You heard what I said!" he shouted, almost loud enough to make the entire cafeteria turn their heads to the small group's table.

"I'm working on a way that could be used to save him as we speak, but I see the easiest method as being teaming up with Xylia and taking her brother and this virus down and then that should free Odd," Jeremie stated as he hastily typed on his computer.

Ulrich couldn't believe what had been said either, but knew that it must be true… He hated thinking that Odd would be gone for awhile, but he knew that it was probably the best choice. Going down fighting was good, right?

"There really isn't anything we can do, Yumi… We'll just need to deal with this as we would any other Lyoko related problem…" Aelita said softly as Ulrich caught her stealing a glance at his sullen expression.

He grabbed a piece of paper from his backpack and wrote something on it. Handing it to Aelita, he walked away and left the lunch room after dumping his tray in the trashcan. He made his way through the halls and unlocked the door to the music room.

-Aelita-

"He'll be joining us at the Factory as two thirty to see good-bye to Odd… Then he'll disappear again and won't be able to be contacted tonight," Aelita stated as she read off the little piece of paper.

"Well, I'll ask him about it when we see him again…" Jeremie sighed as he typed. He didn't even bother eating, which worried Aelita.

"This is going to be really difficult… Especially since we'll be fighting Odd," Yumi stated, finally seeming to understand that Odd really didn't have a choice in the matter.

Aelita nodded, "but we're going to make it through this… Do we trust William enough to let him try to prove himself again?"

"I doubt that Rhys would want to get William back once he gets Odd…" Jeremie stated in an almost hypnotized tone.

Aelita sighed. She was used to Jeremie acting like this and she still didn't like it. He seemed so absorbed in his work that eating and sleeping didn't matter. One day he would end up dead because of it, she knew it.

(*)(*)(*)(*) At the Factory (Seeing Odd off) (*)(*)(*)(*)

"We'll do everything that we can to get you back," Jeremie stated triumphantly from the supercomputer.

Aelita nodded in agreement. "Jeremie and I will work in shifts so that we can sleep and eat and everything.

"I'll see if my parents will allow Kiwi to stick with us until you get back," Yumi stated as she gave him a quick smile.

Ulrich gave Odd a reassuring smile and a nod.

Aelita watched as the once cheerful blonde gave off a depressed air as he went down to the scanners to be transferred so as to meet Rhys on time.

-Xylia-

"Rhys, do something else! You can't just sit there and take Odd from them and me!" she yelled at her brother as he rode to his rendezvous point.

"And what makes you think you could even stop me?" he asked her with a small laugh.

"It would make fighting them fun because they'd have more people for you to mess with in battle?" she stated, saying it more like a question with her uncertainty.

"I'll like watching them struggle with fighting the kitty since he was once their friend. I want to see which one of them cracks first…" Rhys said and then laughed.

She huffed. The entire idea seemed to please him. She really didn't understand how this virus worked… When it came time for him to make Odd his slave, she couldn't bear to watch and averted her eyes just after saying good-bye…

_**A/N: So now Odd is one of Rhys's minions. XD It's definitely going to cause some problems between the group… :D Is this story awesome? XD**_

_**Read and review!**_

_**~MoonlitxAngel**_


	14. Childish Games

_**Childish Games**_

_** A/N: I'm finally feeling almost 100% after that cold. X3 I can smell a bit now and I can taste things a bit, too. ^-^ I used to not be able to at all. Can you imagine that? D: It sucks. Anyway, thanks everyone! Everyone that has reviewed and anyone that ever has! Anyway, check out my profile for the stories that I'm working on and tell me what you think! It should be the second or third thing down from the top, I think. XD**_

_** Onto the story!**_

"Mom, what would you do if Dad got you pregnant again…?" He asked cautiously as his mother wrapped gauze around his torso, replacing the one he'd done himself.

"I'd probably try my hardest to get out of here… I wouldn't want the child to die," she stated simply as she circled the gauze around tightly.

He nodded in agreement. He knew that what his mom had just stated would be the right choice. He hoped it didn't come to that, though.

"Now, get dressed and grab a bagel before heading out or you'll be late again," she told him kindly as she made her way out of the room and to the stairs.

Ulrich smiled a small bit and slipped into his clothes. He liked entertaining the idea of a little sibling in his mind, but his father would have to be out of the picture first…

-Aelita-

"Breakfast just isn't the same without Odd trying to steal your food…" Aelita had sighed as she ate her breakfast slowly. It was just her and Jeremie today. He was busy with his work.

"Maybe we could ask Yumi today if she'd be willing to come in early and pretend to be like Odd for awhile," Jeremie suggested as he typed and ate a bit.

"I can't imagine Yumi acting like Odd," she stated bluntly.

"Me either, but she might try if it would help you…" he stated, looking up and smiling at her.

She smiled back and nodded. "Jeremie, we'll get Odd back."

"I think I've got one way that Yumi won't like…"

"Recruiting Xylia to help us?"

He nodded and continued typing as silence filled the area before Sissi walked up and rapped her finger on the table.

"What are Mr. and Mrs. Einstein doing this morning without their friends? Are Ulrich and Odd sick?" she asked with worry. A little worry, but still worry.

"Ulrich moved in with his parents who moved closer and Odd is out visiting family," Jeremie lied quickly.

Aelita hadn't thought about what to tell anyone about Odd that night. She'd been too worried. She liked Jeremie's idea and rolled with it.

"Odd needed some time away from you," Aelita stated sweetly, letting loose a giggle as Sissi walked off.

(*)(*)(*)(*) Later That Day (*)(*)(*)(*)

-Xylia-

"When you do things like this it makes me mad. You act like you're all high and mighty and then you have to take someone else and make them do everything for you!" she yelled at her brother as she sat panting against the wall.

"I'll return my pet once I'm finished with him..." Rhys stated as he hopped off the Krab he'd been riding for awhile now. He'd sent Odd off to do who knows what.

"You had better return him soon or you'll have me to deal with, and you know that I can beat you," she stated, glaring at the younger boy and seeing a hint of her brother coming back in his eyes. She thought about her uncle and how him and William had traveled through the Digital Sea. She figured that since William could do it that she, Rhys, and Odd could do it. "May I ask you something before I go?" she asked quickly and rudely.

"What? I'm busy," he stated, sending the monsters off.

"What if you or I fell into the Digital Sea like you do with all your minions, as you call them? Would we die like they say or would we be able to traverse it?"

"You're lucky I'm in a decent mood today…" he whispered as he began to pace. "I'm not sure exactly as to why we can, but yes. We can survive the Digital Sea without anything special."

She nodded and pretended to leave the hideout, only to stay and watch. She had to wait for just the right moment before she could drag her brother away from the virus. The virus had to let him go, first…

-Odd-

If you've ever been wrapped up like a marionette, then you'd know how he felt. He could see what was happening, but he couldn't control where his body moved. He told it to stop and it did the opposite. It did as Rhys ordered it. He'd thought that all this would be mentally trying for his friends when in fact; it'd be just as trying for him. They could stop themselves, though, and he couldn't.

"Odd… You have to resist my brother…" Xylia whispered to him from five feet behind. "You know you don't want to do this… Don't activate that tower…"

-Rhys-

He laughed at his little scheme. Playing games with these people was fun. Playing around in the blonde one's memories had been fun. He'd found some useful information… He knew that something was going on with the brunette that he wasn't sharing. He'd have to do some digging to play with that little scenario… He also now knew of Aelita's fear of wolves. He'd exploited it before without knowing, but now he planned to take full advantage of it and playing with the brunette's vertigo all at the same time.

Let the games begin…

-Yumi-

She hated the idea, but nodded anyway. "I'd have to suck it up anyway, wouldn't I?"

Her two friends nodded as they took up residence on their normal bench at the courtyard.

"Jeremie has been really busy lately with everything. I hope he's going to be alright…" Aelita whispered.

"You know Jeremie… He'll eventually pass out and he'll be fine the next day," Yumi stated, giving her a hug. She kind of felt bad for Aelita and her constant struggles with getting Jeremie to eat and sleep.

"He's never passed out in class like that, though…" She whispered the worry evident in her voice.

Ulrich moved to Aelita's other side and gave her a short hug.

"Don't worry… He's just a bit over-worked is all. You'll see. He'll be up and back to his normal self tomorrow," Yumi said, getting into a group hug with the others.

"He told me that he's getting a program together to get Odd back and he's working on another one to make us immune to Rhys and Xylia's power to manipulate us. He's having Xylia assist him when she can. She's been playing spy for us and telling us what she hears Rhys say and what he's planning," Aelita stated, a hint of that worry still evident.

Yumi nodded. "I'll trust Xylia for now…" She really didn't have a choice. It was now or never and they needed Xylia. Yes, William could help, too, but he wasn't the best person to help because of what happened last time.

"I hope that things go back to normal soon…" Aelita whispered.

-Xylia-

"Odd… Please don't do this…" she whispered as he did as she had done many times before and held his hand up, palm out facing the tower.

The tower went from its normal, milky white to the deep crimson that signal the tower was now under Rhys's control…

She knew exactly what he was going to do and she didn't like it one bit and hid. She waited patiently for the others…

_**A/N: Not much to say… Ummm… TGIF? XD Anyway, I'm glad that you all are sticking with me and I hope to reach 100 reviews by the end of this! ^o^**_

_**Read and review!**_

_**~MoonlitxAngel**_


	15. Challanges

_**Challenges**_

_** A/N: This chapter is late, but it's still today by my standards. XD I was getting really into this one book that I was reading. I'm not sure how many of you would like it. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. It's about faeries, but not your "normal" faeries. These ones are scary and interesting and fun to read about. XD Anyway, my babbling was interesting this time, huh? XD**_

_** Onto the story!**_

Xylia knew that she couldn't interfere in this part of the game… She hated that she couldn't help them right now, but knew that she'd have to wait. She edged closer to Odd and grabbed him by the forearms, holding him tightly in place. Before this had been implemented she'd gone into a tower to strengthen her and was betting that it would ebb away too fast… "Odd… Resist my brother… Whatever he's telling you to do, don't do it… Resist it with every fiber of your being."

He'd continued to stare forward, as if her words didn't faze him.

She had to keep her voice strong. She couldn't let it crack and shake like normal. "Odd, you have to do this."

-Aelita-

She sucked in her breath and stepped into the infirmary. Yolanda had told them that Jeremie was awake and was looking to speak with Aelita. It had been something important. She didn't want to think about what it could be, though.

"Aelita," he said, his voice just above a whisper.

"You know we were worried about you… You barely ever slept and I think today was the first time I'd seen you eat anything in days… You can't go on like this. I'll help you and we can do this on and off taking turns. You and I can do all the programming and stuff together and you're not going to end up in the infirmary again because of it…" she whispered. She'd meant for it to coming in a demanding way, but it hadn't worked out too well for her.

Seconds later a black mist came from the electrical socket near the computer and zoomed toward Aelita's face and into her eyes.

She held her eyes closed tightly as the same thing entered her ears.

Normally, the virus or Xana or whatever was messing with them couldn't touch her. Today, though, something was different and now they could.

"Jeremie, a tower's been activated. We need to warn the others," she stated as she rubbed at her stinging eyes.

She heard what seemed to be a growl in response and saw a wolf sitting in the spot that Jeremie had been.

Aelita's eyes widened and she left the room in a hurry.

-Yumi-

Ulrich shook his head violently and crossed his arms against his chest. They were standing at the edge of the forest, where the trees touched the lines of the school, and Yumi was trying to convince him to go up that cliff they had before because wolves were now somewhere behind them.

The three wolves had chased all the other kids away and then chased the two around to the side of the woods where the cliff was. The wolves were now slowly closing in on them, making into the woods the only safe way to go.

"Ulrich, would you rather die than face your fear of heights?" Yumi asked, mimicking his movement of placing his arms across his chest.

He shrugged, not shaking his head and still not nodding. It was something to start with.

"Think about your mom and the rest of us, huh? We all want you to be safe and we need you on Lyoko. We need you to save Odd. Would you toss all that away for your vertigo?"

-Ulrich-

He knew that her question made sense, but he didn't want to answer it. She'd think he was all suicidal, which if it got him away from his dad was always an option, or something else. He didn't like the fact that he was even thinking of letting those wolves touch him, but he was. It would get him away from everything hard in his life.

"Is it really that hard a decision? Do we, your friends, mean nothing to you?" Yumi asked as the wolves continued to get closer.

He knew that they had to save Odd. Yumi meant everything to him so, he stood up a little straighter, took Yumi's hand in his, and ran forward as fast as he could muster; the wolves were following in close pursuit.

-Rhys-

He laughed as he watched them struggle. Activating a tower gave him access to their world and through that he could watch all of them as they tried to beat him.

"Rhys, you have to stop this," Xylia stated as she stalked into the room, letting herself in.

He cocked his head to the side and waited for her to scream and yell at him like she normally did when she was telling him off for doing something like this, She didn't and seemed to be trying to keep a level head.

"You can't just toy with people like this. What happened to the little brother that I knew?" she asked almost as calmly, but her voice shaking slightly.

"He's still here. Right now I, the virus, am the dominate one," he replied, giving her one of those evil smiles he almost always had plastered on his face.

"Then let my brother go. If all of this is a game to you then how are we supposed to win without a clear set of rules?"

"You win by figuring it out. I'm not just going to give up and go away."

"Give me back my brother."

-Aelita-

She was scared out of her mind. The wolf was getting closer to her and she couldn't do anything about it. She'd tried kicking it in the nose and everything else, but it still hadn't worked. She'd tried every trick she'd ever learned that would get rid of a wolf, but they hadn't worked and now she was pinned against a wall.

The wolf whined and softly padded toward her now. It had been snarling and growling moments ago while it chased her. She wished she knew where everyone had gone…

-Jeremie-

"Aelita… What's the matter…? What are you seeing?" he asked her as he slowly stepped closer and closer to the pink haired girl.

She shook, but stood before him plastered against the far wall. She'd been running from him ever since he'd turned around to get a book and yelled. She'd kicked him a lot in the leg.

"Aelita… Tell me what's wrong so we can fix it…"

She turned her head away from him as tears sat at the corners of her eyes, threatening to come out.

He dared to step closer to her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She cringed from the movement and then seemed to realize something and reached out her hands and felt Jeremie's face like a blind person.

-Aelita-

She could _feel_ the glasses beneath her fingers. She couldn't see anything that she was holding onto, but her fingers hadn't been deceived and she knew that this was Jeremie in front of her. "I'm so sorry, Jeremie… Don't even try to speak. I can't hear anything you say. All I'm hearing is growling and snarling and whining. In my eyes you look like a wolf right now… We need to find a way to fix this…"

_**A/N: If I can ever sit down and write a chapter these things would be longer. I just got this done in just about twenty minutes. XD**_

_** Read and review~!**_

_**~MoonlitxAngel**_


	16. Together Again

_**Together Again**_

_** A/N: Here I am again! X3 Well, today went alright, though I stayed up a little late last night and didn't end up waking up till one this afternoon. Looks like I'm setting an alarm. XDD**_

_** Onward to the story! X3**_

Aelita bit her lip as her and Jeremie typed back and forth on the computer in his room. They had so far both agreed that it wasn't the best idea to try to go to Lyoko without Ulrich or Yumi and that even if she went by herself it might be bad because he couldn't talk with her or warn her about things that were coming. He was in the middle of talking to Ulrich. Apparently they were being chased by wolves. That virus seemed to love them.

**Aelita, Ulrich told me that Yumi and he are working on getting to the Factory. They're going through the forest. Are you ready to head toward the Factory? **Jeremie typed quickly.

Aelita nodded and sighed. This was going to be difficult for all of them…

-Xylia-

"Leave him alone!" she yelled at her brother as she stood in front of Odd.

Rhys laughed at her. "You really think I'm going to listen to you?"

"Quit acting like you're so much older than me. You're still my little, eight-year-old brother," she stated, placing her hands on her hips. She looked back at Odd to make sure he was still behind her and wondered why he hasn't said a word.

"I'm a virus that was created fifteen years ago. I'm much older."

Xylia held onto Odd's wrist and Rhys frowned. He seemed surprised. "Let me talk to my brother!"

He rolled his eyes and frowned at her. "Do you really think I would risk that?"

"You're the one that just stated that it was a risk to let him talk to me. He can hear you just like I can."

"That really doesn't matter if he's still allowing me to be in his body and not resisting it. He doesn't care that I see him talking to him as a risk." His face screwed up in concentration once he'd finished speaking.

Xylia smiled. She could tell that the virus was having issues hanging onto Rhys's body. He was fighting to talk to her… Just the plain fact made her smile. She might be able to get her brother back…

-Ulrich-

"We're almost there so, don't worry," Yumi stated as they ran toward their destination.

Ulrich rolled his eyes at her and pumped his legs harder. He was intent on getting there before Yumi did.

(*)(*)(*)(*) At the Factory (Ulrich won, if you're wondering. XD( (*)(*)(*)(*)

"Are you ready to go?" Jeremie asked, getting two nods from Ulrich and Yumi and a questioning look from Aelita. "The activated tower is in the ice sector. I wouldn't put it past this virus or Xana to pit Odd against you so be ready for it. I'm not sure if Aelita will be able to hear or see you on Lyoko so just take her hand on lead her if you have to."

"It shouldn't be too difficult for me," Yumi stated as the re-entered the elevator. She'd grabbed onto Aelita's wrist and dragged her in with them.

Ulrich nodded to Jeremie, hopefully reassuring the blonde, and then joined the two in the elevator.

(*)(*)(*)(*) Lyoko (*)(*)(*)(*)

"Can you hear what I'm saying, Aelita?" Yumi asked gently so as not to scare her if she wasn't hearing the words.

"Yeah, apparently it's not going to affect me here," she stated and began to walk toward the area that Jeremie had told them that the tower was in.

"Well, it shouldn't. I'm just glad that we didn't take the risk because he's sending you a welcoming committee. Four krabs, three kankrelats, and Odd are coming your way. Be ready," Jeremie told the group.

"I'm not sure any of us are ready to face Odd…" Aelita whispered.

Ulrich looked to the two and frowned. He was in complete agreement with what Aelita had said. Fighting Odd was the last thing that he wanted to do…

(*)(*)(*)(*) Xylia (*)(*)(*)(*)

She hugged Rhys close and shushed him. "Please Rhys… Don't cry…"

"We're stuck in a virtual world that our uncle created, Mom and Dad have died in a car crash, and we can't fix a thing… Mom and Dad died thinking we were dead… All because our stupid Uncle!" he shouted, snuggling closer into his sister.

She ran her fingers through his hair, hoping that the gesture would comfort him. "Rhys, I know that things are far from ideal, but we are responsible for this, too… We were the ones that were playing in a place we didn't belong…"

"That isn't how it happened, Xylia! Why don't you remember?" he shouted as he abruptly stood up and began pacing around the room. "That day that we were first brought here our uncle was supposed to be watching us and he had some work to do. He left our cousin alone at home all the time so that he could get whatever work it was that he needed to get done done. We snuck away from Aelita and followed Uncle to his lab with the supercomputer! He told didn't even see us and we went down to where those scanners were. We climbed inside and began to pretend it was some alien experiment or something. You were really big on those theories and stuff back then. When the cabins started closing you freaked out and said that if we saw each other again that you'd protect me. When we got here Uncle realized and told us to sit tight and he'd have us out soon."

"I don't know why I don't remember any of that… I wish I did so that I could do the big sister thing properly, but I can't and I don't… You know that Uncle is trapped here, too, now..."

He nodded and sat down next to Xylia. "We need to get out of here… I don't want to be that virus's plaything anymore…"

Xylia nodded and hugged him tightly. "I'm tired of being fourteen… I want to grow up."

Rhys laughed and nodded as he wiped the stray tears off his face.

"If you still hate Uncle please think about forgiving him… He's really sorry…" she whispered as she hugged him again.

He nodded and then said, "You know the kid that the virus captured…?"

She nodded and stood up, helping her brother up afterwards.

"He's friends with our cousin."

"So that's why her name sounded familiar to me…"

"At least your memory is being jogged. Now that stupid virus is going to be getting a new body… I just hope it's not that blonde kid that has to suffer next…"

Xylia bit her lip and nodded. She didn't want the things next victim to be Odd… "We need to hide and I'll try to contact Jeremie. Maybe he can figure out how to separate us from Xana…"

He nodded and took his sister's hand. "We're working together from now on…"

She smiled up at him and nodded.

_**A/N: Well, I answered a question you all must have had. Yes, Xylia and Rhys's uncle was indeed Franz Hopper. I made a mistake a bit ago that Xylia and Rhys will address later. XD Umm… there may or may not be a battle scene in this fic. Not sure yet.**_

_** Read and review!**_

_**~MoonlitxAngel**_


	17. Always Protecting

_**Always Protecting**_

_** A/N: Not much to say… XD Things are crazy in my life and people are going missing(ish). XD Not to mention other stuff I'm not going to say. Anyway, I hope that everyone that's reading this story is reviewing and if you're not, please review! X3**_

_** Onward to the story!**_

Xylia bit her lip as they attempted to leave the room they were in. If they weren't careful then the virus would notice what was going on and then she'd be locked up and Rhys would be trapped.

"Xylia, we need to get out of its fortress thing and then get to Lyoko. I don't think you'd have too much difficulty contacting that Jeremie guy from Carthage, but the virus might catch us if we're not careful," Rhys whispered behind her.

She nodded and replied, "I think that if we get out of here we can get to Lyoko a lot easier. Alright, you've got to be ready to move. I can get rid of my monsters quickly, but they might alert it if we're seen."

"We both have Xana in us. I think that if we work together then maybe we can get rid of all the monsters. You've got more of Xana in you so, I can't do it all myself," he told her.

She nodded and smiled back at him. "I don't like that this virus took control of my monsters. I spent a lot of time creating them."

"Xylia, do you think we can do this?" he asked her as he stepped up to her side.

She took his hand in hers and nodded. "Xana was created as the overseer of Lyoko and Carthage. It is the system. We're the system. Neither of us is as strong apart as we are together."

"Remember the stories Mom and Dad used to read to us? With the princes and princesses?"

"Yeah. I'm assuming you think we're like them?"

He nodded and smiled. "Some people may think that it's girly, but I like thinking of us like that."

"That really makes me smile, Rhys… Now, let's get out of here," she stated, raising her hand and focusing.

-Aelita-

She took in a deep breath as they neared the monsters and Odd. She didn't think that any of the three of them would be able to stand and fight Odd. "Do you think that the virus will have made him stronger?"

"I'm really not sure so you guys need to be careful," Jeremie told them as they got closer.

"Aelita, don't think of him as Odd. Ulrich, don't you think of him as Odd, either. He's not the Odd that we knew. Ulrich and I will try to distract him once we get rid of the other monsters and then you go through and deactivate the tower," Yumi stated before they got too close.

"That works for me. It sounds like the best way to do this," she stated.

The three had stopped moving and were waiting behind a glacier.

"Do you think that we could devirtualize Odd and he might go back to normal? Like most people that are possessed?" Aelita asked, turning to face toward Yumi.

"It might work. I'll look around for an answer and I'll let you know," Jeremie stated.

-Rhys-

He laughed at the thought of what they'd just done. The two siblings had just destroyed an entire group of monsters by themselves in a few seconds.

"I told you, didn't I?" Xylia asked him as she smiled.

Rhys had always felt a lot better when his sister was smiling. He assumed it was since she was always looking out for him. For as long as Rhys could remember Xylia had been looking out for him…

_-Flashback-_

_ "Your hair is weird!" a seven-year-old yelled at Rhys as he took the ball that he'd been playing with._

_ "Just 'cause I'm different doesn't mean anything!" Rhys yelled as he reached for the ball and the kid moved it at the last second, making Rhys fall._

_ "Rhys! Mom and Dad said that it's time to go home!" Xylia, at the age of eleven, called to him and waved her arms._

_ "Go back to your sister, baby," the boy said as he bounced the ball that Rhys had been playing with._

_ "Hey you!" Xylia yelled, storming over to the boy and placing her hands on her hips. "You better give my brother back that ball."_

_ "Really? What are you going to do about it?" the kid asked with an evil grin._

_ "I'll steal it back from you. You'll be the one on the ground and not my brother," she stated as she looked over at her brother and smiled._

_ "You don't have to do that, Xylia…" Rhys told her as he moved over behind his sister._

_ "Be quiet, Rhys. I'm the older one here and I'm not going to let this kid push you around."_

_-End Flashback-_

"Let's just get out of here…" Rhys whispered as they moved across the area the Krabs had once taken up.

Xylia nodded and sped up. "That virus isn't going to get us…"

"Yeah, nothing can stop us when we're together…" Rhys told her once they'd made it across the small field.

"Alright, I don't explore Carthage much. Do you have any idea where we might go to get to Lyoko?" she asked, turning to face her brother and seeing the red and black ball that was the virus behind them. "Looks like we're not leaving without a fight! Come on and run, Rhys!"

Rhys raced alongside his sister, keeping their hands together. As long as the two were together they would be able to stop anything that the virus threw at them.

-Ulrich-

He laughed at the thought of what had just happened. They'd been able to keep Odd at bay and Aelita to deactivate the tower and were now in the middle of a battle with Odd. Laughing wasn't the best thing to do, but he did.

"Jeremie, do you have any idea what will happen if we devirtualize him?" Yumi called up to the genius as her and Ulrich fought Odd.

"I don't see any problem with doing it. It might actually knock him back to normal, but it might also get rid of him forever," Jeremie stated as Ulrich stood in front of Yumi, protecting her from the barrage of arrows that Odd was sending their way.

"Do you think that you could see if Aelita could look from where she's at?" Yumi asked, sending her fans to attack Odd and having one make contact while he caught the other one and smiled.

"She's already on it," he stated.

Seconds later a black and red ball flew through the sky and went through Odd.

Odd fell to the ground and screamed.

_**A/N: Well, I've got an idea of what's going to happen next chapter. XD Well, I don't have much to say. XD**_

_** Read and review!**_

_**~MoonlitxAngel**_


	18. More Surprises Than We Thought

_**More Surprises Than We Thought**_

_** A/N: Alright, it seems I probably won't get to 100 reviews again… : ( It makes me sad to think of it that way, but some of you aren't reviewing regularly (which I know you can't and everything, but still) and others are reading all chapters and not reviewing or reviewing every other one. It kind of makes me sad… I have an idea in mind right now for another story after the ones already listed. If you want to know where my idea came from then read Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. It's my inspiration for it.**_

_** On to the story!**_

__Xylia panted and fell to the ground. "I… I think we lost it…"

Rhys nodded, not being able to get out a word. "I… I wish we… knew where it went…"

Xylia nodded and took in a deep breath. "Let's get to Lyoko…"

Rhys nodded and smiled. "We're doing this together, right?"

"Yup. I wouldn't fight with anyone else," she told him with a smile as they neared a new area to them.

-Odd-

Even though they weren't supposed to be able to feel anything on Lyoko, he did. It felt like a white-hot iron being shoved through his torso. He didn't like the idea of what was happening. It felt like something was running through his body. It was trying to take more control over him. Why did things always have to go badly for him?

He screamed as more pain shot through his body. He didn't know how much more he could take of this… He panted as his body continued to reject the virus. This was all he could say it was. This was the virus taking his body for itself.

He forced his head so that he could see his friends. They were watching in horror as his body went through this. They probably had no idea how to stop it… "Kill me! Destroy me! Do something!"

-Yumi-

"Jeremie, what do we do?" she asked in as calm a voice as she could muster. She was worried about Odd.

"We're not sure if attacking him will destroy him or not… It's your only choice and right now he's extremely vulnerable. Landing one hit would do it," Jeremie stated.

Ulrich looked at Yumi with a questioning eye raise.

"I think that we need to attack him… It's the best shot we've got and maybe we can re-materialize him once we've gotten rid of him. There'll have to be some sort of signature left…" Yumi said fiercely as she threw her fan to hit Odd in the chest.

-Odd-

He fought for control of his body. He knew full well that he had a chance of dying if Yumi's fan hit him, but he had to do something and he couldn't stand the thought of just letting himself be taken control of. He was able to control himself for just long enough that he was able to make sure that Yumi's fan made contact with his body.

-Ulrich-

He watched as Odd's digital envelope disappeared and the black and red thing was left bobbing alone. It flew up to Yumi and Ulrich and then took off, streaking through the sky toward some unknown destination.

"Jeremie, don't check and see if Odd is there yet. We've still got something to do," Yumi stated as she walked toward the tower. "We've got to find Xylia and see what she knows of what's going on."

"I agree. If I look we'll all get distracted," Jeremie told her, his voice cracking a small bit.

Ulrich ran forward and stood guard at the base of the tower.

"Where do you think we'll find Xylia?" Yumi asked.

"Give me a second and I'll find her and make contact," Jeremie stated as he seemed to type on the computer.

-Jeremie-

He held onto the small bit of hope that he had that Odd made it out alive. He hoped that Aelita had been right and that Odd would come back. He typed as fast as his fingers allowed and found Xylia in Carthage. "Xylia, can you hear me?"

"Oh thank God, Jeremie!" she exclaimed, sounding as if she were out of breath. "Can you get Rhys and me out of Carthage? We don't want to make too much noise getting out so that the virus doesn't realize we've escaped."

"Give me a minute and I'll get you to Lyoko. You need to get to the Ice Sector. Aelita, Yumi, and Ulrich are there waiting for you. We need your help," Jeremie stated as he worked.

"We need each other, Jeremie. Rhys and I need a way to protect ourselves from the virus. He can take control of our bodies when he needs to. We can stop the virus if we can block ourselves from its power…" Xylia told him.

"I'll get to work on that once we get you to the others. Don't worry, I'll figure something out as soon as I can, Xylia. Who's there with you? Is it your brother?"

"Yeah, the virus couldn't stop him from talking to me and now we're working together. He and I together are Xana and we can do a lot of stuff here on Lyoko. We're just not exactly sure how it all works since we haven't been together like that since the beginning."

"Xylia and I were arguing a lot back then and then I went to the virus's side and left her alone," Rhys told him.

"I can see how you two wouldn't get a lot of practice that way…" he stated as he finished summoning the vehicles and checking up on the others. "Alright, you should have the Overwing there. If you get to the area outside of Carthage by way of the elevator you should get outside of the ball that is Carthage and then I'll open the gate to the Ice Sector. I'll keep in contact, but I've got to check in with the others."

"Alright, I'll work on it getting to the Ice Sector with Rhys," Xylia said firmly.

-Aelita-

She bit her lip and hoped that Odd was okay.

"Xylia and her brother are on their way and then we can work something out. For now, I'm going to go see if Odd is there. I won't tell you guys if you don't want to know," Jeremie told them.

"Alright, we'll be waiting…" she whispered, hugging her arms close.

"Odd'll be fine… No matter whether he is there or not Jeremie and you will find something left of Odd and then we'll get him back…" Yumi said, hugging Aelita's shouders.

Ulrich nodded in agreement. She knew that he was trying to comfort her without speaking.

"Guys! Get in the tower!" Xylia yelled as the black and red blob followed closely behind her and her brother.

_**A/N: Next chapter or the one after that should wrap up this fight nicely. XD Then we'll get back to Ulrich. There'll probably be on more flashback of Ulrich's. Not sure. Do you guys want me to put up a thing of all his flashbacks in order? :3**_

_** Read and review!**_

_**~MoonlitxAngel**_


	19. Pushing Forward

_**Pushing Forward**_

_** A/N: Thanks for the encouragement, everyone! X3 I'll probably do two stories at the same time next due to the fact that I need to refer to a book for one of them. And that I want the chapters to be pretty long. That's my plan, anyway.**_

_** Onto the story! :3**_

Once Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita had entered the tower Xylia took control of it and pulled Rhys into the safety of its walls.

"Now what, Xylia?" Rhys asked, a panicked expression crossing his face.

"Aelita, Ulrich, and Yumi need to hold off those monsters and the virus so that we can get more power from this tower from the panel on the next floor. Will you guys help us?" she asked, looking over at the three. She didn't know if she could trust them, but they were her only option.

Ulrich and Aelita nodded almost immediately and waited for Yumi. She looked as if she were debating something and then gave a sharp nod.

"Keep us updated through Jeremie so that when we're done we can get out of here at the best time possible to stop the virus. Jeremie, if Odd is there watch out. He may still be possessed by the virus, even if he is there," Rhys stated softly as the tower began shaking.

"Looks like we're not going to get a break," Yumi stated irritably as she left the tower.

After a reassuring smile Ulrich and Aelita followed closely behind.

"Come on, we've got some work to do," Xylia stated, taking Rhys's hand and taking him up to the next platform.

-Jeremie-

"The program to block Xylia and Rhys from the virus's power is going well. I just hope that I can give it to them before anything happens," Jeremie whispered to himself. He had to keep reassuring himself that everything was going to be okay or he thought he might go insane with worry.

"Jeremie, do you have any ideas on what we're up against down here?" Aelita asked him, dragging him away from his thoughts.

He looked to the monitor and saw forty or more monsters sitting outside the tower. "There are ten krabs, nine hornets, three megatanks, and some tarantulas and creepers here and there. All in all, there's probably about forty monsters total."

"This is going to be a pain…" Yumi whispered as she moved across the screen.

"I'm materializing the vehicles so you guys can maneuver around better," Jeremie stated as he typed away.

-Aelita-

"This is definitely not going to be easy," she stated as the Overboard, Overbike, and Overwing appeared in front of the three.

"It's not, but oh well. We need Xylia and Rhys and they're inside that tower. According to Xylia it has to be activated for her to be able to do what she needs to in there, which I don't get, but we need to get rid of those three megatanks. They're the only ones that can do huge damage to the towers, so they're first," she stated as she took charge of the situation.

When all else fails, they knew that they could count on Yumi to get things done.

Ulrich nodded after she'd said that and super sprinted over to one of the three megatanks.

-Odd-

He moaned and crawled out of the scanner, feeling the effects of having been on Lyoko for too long. He couldn't remember half of what happened and he felt sick… His head felt like it was going to explode…

He dragged himself out of the scanner and get into the elevator, not trusting his legs and arms to allow him to climb up the ladder.

Once he got up to the supercomputer he took a spot near Jeremie and whispered, "How're things going for them?"

Jeremie turned to look at him and covered the mouthpiece. "So you heard me when I was down there?"

Odd nodded, trying to speak as little as possible since Jeremie hadn't told the others he'd returned and his throat was hurting.

"Xylia and Rhys are in a tower right now, for safety and to get stronger. I'm not sure how that works exactly, but it does. I'm working on a program so that the virus can't take control of anyone and Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita are fighting thirty or more monsters," he stated.

Odd nodded again and watched the screen. He could see which of his friends were who and he knew that they were having a difficult time. He really wished that he could help, but he knew that he couldn't. It would be too taxing on his body.

-Xylia-

"I'm glad that I've got you to help here… It used to take me so long," she stated as she moved things around on the panel.

"Things go a lot faster when we're together, it seems," he said as he looked around, never letting his hand slip from his sister's.

She smiled and sighed to herself. Standing here with her brother and working to power them both up so they could defeat the virus that tore them apart made her happy.

"How much longer do you think this is going to take?" he asked, looking her straight in the eyes.

She shrugged. "You and I have never worked together to do this and normally it takes me about thirty minutes to do a total power up. I assume it should only take fifteen to do so now."

He nodded and hugged her. "I hope that this all works out…"

"Me too, Rhys… Me too…"

-Ulrich-

He slashed his sword through the air at the megatanks and failed at hitting the mark hidden by its metal shell.

"Keep working at it, Ulrich! At least we're keeping them from attacking the towers!" Yumi called to him as they worked on the second megatank. They'd all taken care of the other one, but had split to take care of the other two.

He nodded in their direction, seeing that they were looking, and he continued to watch for an opening. He had to destroy this megatank. He needed to prove himself.

A strange humming noise came from the black and red orb and the monsters all turned toward it. They seemed to be mesmerized by the noise.

"Destroy as many as you can! I don't know what's going on, but it's probably not good!" Yumi shouted, throwing her fans at the monsters and trying to wipe out as many as she could.

"Jeremie, do you have any readings?" Aelita called, summoning a pink orb and shooting it off. "Jeremie?"

Ulrich attacked the megatank and managed to get rid of it. He looked around for the source of their issue, but was interrupted as he was devirtualized for no reason that he could figure.

-Rhys-

We're almost at fifteen minutes…" he whispered almost silently.

"Then we'll be ready to fight that virus…" she told him kindly. "Jeremie got that program finished and I'm glad that he was able to get it for us. Don't worry, Rhys, we're going to be able to do this…"

He nodded. "I hope so…"

"This is all going to work out, Rhys… Don't doubt it and it'll happen… Everything is going to work out and I'll find somewhere for us to stay… We can meet that little brother you found out about and we'll all be okay…" she whispered, hugging him as best as she could and returning to her work.

He nodded and watched the different things sitting on the tower's wall…

_**A/N: So now you have to wonder what's happened to Jeremie and what's going on. XD Now, I hope that you'll all review this chapter. XD I love you all! X3**_

_** Read and review! X3**_

_**~MoonlitxAngel**_


	20. Figure Out the Past to Help the Future

_**Figure Out the Past to Help the Future**_

_** A/N: Well, the fight between the virus along with Xylia and Rhys is going to happen this chapter! X3 This one and maybe the next. XD Not sure yet. We'll see what happens… Ugh! My headache has returned… Just now. It sucks… Umm… Have any of you watched Pandora Hearts or Teen Mom 2? I'm always looking for people to talk to and debate with and if you've seen either of those then let me know and we can talk about 'em! I recommend Pandora Hearts if you're lookin' for something to watch, though. XD Unless you have a weak stomach 'cause some parts, even though they're animated, are a bit graphic with the blood and a bit creepy.**_

_** Anyway, onto the story! X3**_

"Well, they're alone," Aelita said as she stumbled out of the scanners.

"I hope that Jeremie got everything all set up for those two…" Yumi said as she looked around the room.

Ulrich listened and heard a thumping noise coming from above the three teens. He moved over to Yumi and covered her mouth as she began getting steadily louder and pointed to where the noise was coming from. From where the supercomputer and Jeremie were…

"Aelita, Ulrich and I are going to go check out the computer lab. You stay down here and see if anyone else comes out. I really don't recommend coming up there if anything happens," Yumi stated, taking Ulrich's arm and leading him toward the ladder.

"I'm not helpless, you know," Aelita stated, waving the two off.

"It'll just be easier for maneuvering. I'll call for you if we need your help, okay?" she asked.

The three couldn't help but ignore the fact that Odd wasn't in any of the scanners which worried them, but that wasn't important.

-Odd-

He was inside his own mind again. Somehow the virus had managed to gain control of his body and throw Jeremie halfway across the room. It had used his body and made him devirtualize his friends and then make the virus on Lyoko call for all the monsters that were on its side. It was getting ready for the battle against Xylia and Rhys… Odd had a feeling he knew who would win that one…

He heard his own voice say, "Get ready… The children are leaving the tower as we speak…"

Something answered with a yes and he closed the small window as Yumi and Ulrich came up.

-Xylia-

She did a back-flip, landing on her hands and then pushing off the ground and getting onto a monster's back. She stabbed one of her knives through the symbol on it and did a Chinese splits, pushing off the monster and landing on the ground before it exploded.

"Xylia, I need your help over here!" Rhys called from a bit away as he tried to fight a monster by himself.

"We need to get to the virus, once we do I can re-take control of my monsters!" she called as she ran toward him, throwing out her knives along the way as she tried to get rid of the monsters in her way and beside the path she was traveling.

"Well, once we get the monsters out of the way then we'll be able to get to it!" he shouted back, trying to figure out everything that his powers brought him.

Xylia sighed. She knew it was going to take him awhile since he'd relied upon the virus for all his protection, but it was getting a small bit on her nerves. He needed her help all the time and they weren't getting anywhere. They couldn't go in together because then if one went down then they'd both go down and that couldn't happen.

"Xylia, please help me!" he shouted over the monsters.

"I'm working on it!" she called back as she cut her way through the monsters that she could. She attempted to jump over the ones that she couldn't get rid of and ended up over half of them. She got over there and took his hand. "Alright, new plan. We're working together so I don't have to keep coming over here."

"That works for me…" he said as he concentrated.

"You've got to figure out what you can do. Be careful, though. Aelita's got Creativity and that took away her life points and we don't know if yours will…" she told him as her attacks picked up speed and she destroyed a line of monsters.

He nodded as he sifted through his memories, trying to figure out if he subconsciously remembered what it was. Their uncle had told them what they could do when they'd first arrived, so he might end up remembering it eventually…

-Ulrich-

He stuck out his leg and spun, tripping Odd. He took a quick look over at Yumi and then pinned Odd against the ground.

Yumi crawled up to the two and held Odd's arms down. "Odd, snap out of it."

Ulrich noticed how sharply she said it and realized that she was just as stressed as he was. They needed Jeremie to wake up and they needed it fast. The virus still had Odd and neither of them could get it away.

"Jeremie! Wake up already and help us!" Yumi yelled as loud as she could. She'd been doing that ever since they'd started fighting Odd. She'd yelled at Jeremie every chance she got so that they might actual get him awake again.

Ulrich shook his head and breathed heavy. They'd been fighting hard. Aelita had mostly kept quiet and had only come up once to tell them that they were making a lot of noise.

-Xylia-

"Rhys, I don't know if we can do this without the others…" she told him, her face growing worried.

"Remember what you told me? Believe in what you want to happen and it'll happen?" Rhys asked her. She could tell that he needed her to believe this as much as he wanted to believe it. "We can do this as long as we're together…"

She bit her lip and nodded. "We can do it…"

"We have to…"

She nodded and punched forward, sending a wave forward.

"How many times can you do that?" he asked quickly.

"Probably about three more before it wears me down… Why?"

He looked forward and looked like he was thinking about something and then said, "Well, if you can shoot it off two more times we should be able to get to that virus thing…"

"I can't shoot it off consecutively, Rhys. You'll have to wait about another minute before I can shoot it off again… And two after that… They'd pile up before that…"

He nodded and looked up at the sky.

-Rhys-

He had to wonder if he'd ever be on the winning side…

_**A/N: Well, that's all for now. I know, probably not that great, but it had to be here. XD Note what Rhys is thinking at the end of this chapter and you've got a little prelude into the chapter after this one. XD**_

_** Read and review, please!**_

_**~MoonlitxAngel**_


	21. To Protect You

_**To Protect You…**_

_** A/N: I'm ba-a-a-a-ack! XD Anyway, I was very happy today when I logged onto my e-mail b/c guess what? XD Six reviews were waiting for me! X3 Five from people that normally review and have a penname and one that was anonymous. I'll respond to your questions as best as I can since you reviewed in Spanish and I had to use an on-line translator. :3**_

_**Anonimo: Okay, so really in this story Xana isn't the bad guy. It's a virus that was created when Xana was created. Xylia and Rhys both have a bit of Xana in them. Odd is being controlled by the virus that they (being Xylia and Rhys) are trying to defeat on Lyoko. I think that answered it all and if you read this story it means you can read English, so if you review again please leave it in English so I don't have to search for a decent on-line translator. Thanks for the review!**_

_** Onto the story!**_

Rhys sucked in a deep breath and screamed as loud as he could. He wanted everyone and everything's attention. He squeezed Xylia's hand as the monsters and the orb turned toward him. "Why can't things ever be easy? Hmm? Why can't two sides that are fighting ever compromise?"

The virus made a bobbing motion as if telling Rhys to continue.

"I'm not sure exactly what you want, but before you helped me when I was down. You began leaving me behind, though, and that's what made me change my mind. I'm not sure what you want, but can't we work this out in a civil manner?" he knew his sister was looking at him strangely. Just because he had the body of an eight year old didn't mean that he had the mind of an eight year old.

"Rhys, what do you think you're doing?" Xylia asked him, spinning around to face him and forcing him to look at her.

"I'm trying to save all of us…" he whispered as he faced toward the virus again. "Anytime that you were inside of me you wouldn't let go of what your motive was. What you were trying to do is important."

-Ulrich-

He tossed a piece of paper at Yumi to get her attention and that made a motion as if he were slapping Odd and then pointed to Jeremie. The point that he was trying to get across was for her to slap Jeremie. It had worked in the past, so why not now?

"You want me to slap Odd?" she asked giving him a questioning look and a suspicious gaze.

He shook his head and pointed at Jeremie, hoping that would get his point across.

"You want Jeremie to slap Odd?" she asked, giving him the same look.

-Yumi-

She hoped that this might work. Aelita had told all of them, before all this had begun, that Ulrich had spoken to her and had broken down in tears. It had hurt to think that he seemed to trust Aelita more than her. She was now trying to get him to say something to her. At least a few small words…

He let out an exasperated sigh and pointed at her. He then made the slapping motion at Odd, nearly hitting Odd in the process (not that that would be a bad thing), and then pointed at Jeremie.

"Just tell me what you want done. We're wasting time and Xylia and Rhys might need us," she stated, looking straight into his eyes. They seemed to hold fear…

He shook his head and pounded on the floor. Yumi had no idea what he was doing until Aelita came into the room and looked around. "Well, it looks like things are going well for you two…" she said, walking over to Ulrich and grabbing his fist, making sure that he couldn't hit the floor any longer.

"Not really. He wants me to do something and I don't get it and he won't just tell me," she stated in a huffy tone.

-Aelita-

She looked to Ulrich and smiled. "You know nothing is going to happen to you if you talk to Yumi…"

He shrugged and looked at Odd, who was still squirming underneath him.

Aelita knew that Yumi and Ulrich liked to play with each other's feelings, but being afraid of Yumi was just beyond her… "Why?"

Ulrich shrugged again. It seemed he wasn't going to talk in front of Yumi…

"Yumi, why don't you try slapping Jeremie? Most of the time when we do that he wakes up…" she stated, looking at Odd and wondering if the same method would work on the blonde.

Yumi shrugged and held her hand back, ready to smack Jeremie just as his eyes fluttered open.

"Wha…?" he asked, attempting to sit up and then sucking in a breath as something pained him.

"Are you alright, Jeremie?" Aelita asked, rushing over to him. She kept glancing back at Ulrich, making sure that he looked alright.

"Yeah… Odd kicked me in the ribs, though…" he whispered, his voice barely audible.

"He probably broke one or something with how bad it seems to be hurting you…" Yumi stated as she stood up and walked over to the supercomputer. She noticed that all the monsters had disappeared and only Xylia, Rhys, and the virus were left on the screen. "Jeremie… Aelita… You better come see this…"

-Xylia-

She looked down in shock at her little brother. His plan was pretty smart, she had to admit, but it was also very dangerous and even dumber than smart. If that was even possible. A plan that was both dumb and smart at the same time. Insane, right?  
"Do you really want that? Are you sure?" Rhys asked, his hand still on the orb that was the virus.

"Rhys, what's it saying?" she tried for the umpteenth time. She'd been trying to get him to tell her what was being said between the two, but any time she tried either Rhys shushed her or the virus got ready to attack her.

The both seemed to glare at her and she kept her mouth shut.

"That doesn't work that way and you know it. You can't just do that to someone else," Rhys stated seconds later through gritted teeth. He looked angrier than she'd seen him in a long time…

"Rhys, what does it want…?" she asked carefully, squeezing the hand that she still held. They knew they would need to be one for this…

"It wants to keep Odd as its plaything…" he stated angrily as Aelita's voice came from the sky.

"What's going on? I thought you guys were fighting the virus?" she asked carefully.

"We were… Then Rhys stated that he wanted to try and compromise, which isn't going well by the way, and so we both dropped out weapons and now they're talking and leaving me out of the conversation," Xylia stated, looking up.

Rhys grabbed one of Xylia's knives quickly and stabbed the orb in the center of it.

-Rhys-

He knew exactly what he was doing, but everything was going to have to be done quickly and he didn't have time to waste. After stabbing the orb he grabbed Xylia's arm for support as it tried to force its way into his body, to take it over for good. "Tell Jeremie… to use a program… destroy virus… it's already on…the computer…"

Xylia looked down at him and her eyes widened, realization hitting her. "Aelita, look for a file on the supercomputer marked something about destroy the Xana virus! Hurry!"

Rhys fell to the ground as he fought the virus. He was going to fight as long as he could so that Aelita had enough time to find the thing that would destroy the virus. If that was ran before the virus took over the virus would be destroyed and Xylia and Rhys would be free to go… If not, his digital body would be destroyed. It would leave him as a floating sphere and the virus would be gone. He wouldn't have a body to go back to so he'd have to have a materialization program tailored to what happened to him. He'd figured all of this out when they had been in the tower, powering up.

"Hurry Aelita!" Xylia shouted again.

-Ulrich-

"You'll never win!" Odd shouted suddenly, making Ulrich jump and then quickly putting himself in a position to pin Odd to the ground again.

"Rhys will be mine and there is nothing that you can do!" he shouted, even louder than the first time.

"No he won't. Rhys and Xylia are a lot stronger than that," Aelita stated, looking him in the eyes.

Jeremie coughed and blood came out of his mouth.

"Aelita, focus on finding that program. We don't have a lot of time," Yumi stated as she crossed the room hurriedly and helped Jeremie sit up a bit so that if more blood came out of his mouth he wouldn't choke or something.

"I think I've almost found it…" she whispered as her typing quickened.

-Xylia-

If she were on Earth she'd been biting her nails. That had been one of her nervous habits. She sat next to Rhys and try to keep him calm. Reassurance was always a good thing, right? "She's going to find it…"

He nodded, which looked painful, and then said, "No matter what I did this to protect you guys… I caused all this trouble…"

She hugged him tightly and shook her head. "We all make mistakes…"

_**A/N: I think that this is one of my longest chapters for this story. X3 Not much else to say!**_

_** Read and review, please! Love you all!**_

_**~MoonlitxAngel**_


	22. Pain to Healing

_**Pain to Healing**_

_** A/N: Not in the best of moods right now… I'm hoping that writing this chapter will help cheer me up. Anyway, thank you all for the kind reviews and I hope you all review the next chapter. I really appreciate how much you guys love this and I'm glad I am able to write it for you…**_

_** On to the story.**_

Ulrich grabbed on to Odd's legs and refused to release his grip. He wasn't exactly sure how, it had happened to fast, Odd had gotten out from underneath him and almost getting across the room. He did, though, and so Ulrich had to stop him.

"Come on, Aelita… Don't give up," Yumi said, staring toward the pinkette and trying to keep both Jeremie and Aelita in good moods.

Ulrich was having random flashbacks here and there every time that he saw Jeremie. He could see a bit of himself in all the pain that Jeremie was going through. Though, Ulrich's dad hadn't made him cough up blood. Yet. He held on to Odd as tightly as he could and tried to drag him backwards so the blonde would end up falling.

"I've almost searched the entire supercomputer!" Aelita exclaimed as she typed frantically. She seemed to know that if they didn't get this done they were going to lose Rhys and, more than likely, Jeremie. She couldn't let that happen…

Odd was still shouting out that the virus was going to win and then they'd all bow to its power. All four of the teens wanted to punch him. Anything to make him shut up.

"Stay calm, Aelita…" Yumi told her as Jeremie coughed, this time with no blood coming up.

"I'm trying, but we can't lose Jeremie. Nor can we lose Rhys. If we lose Rhys then Xylia may end up powerless and then we'll be back to where we began minus a member. I can't let that happen and I'm the only one standing in the way of that happening," she stated simply as she typed.

"You're not alone. You've got me here, too," Xylia stated, her face showing up on the screen. "Rhys is holding out pretty well right now. I'm not sure how much longer we've got, but he won't go down that easily…"

"I agree. He doesn't seem like the type for that to happen to," she told her.

Ulrich looked at Odd and hoped that all this worked out in their favor.

-Rhys-

He could feel the virus moving through him, searching for a way to gain entrance into his mind and somehow he knew that eventually the virus would prevail if Aelita didn't find that program. He couldn't hold it off forever, anyway. At some point or another his strength would become exhausted and he'd be forced to allow the virus control and let his body be destroyed. It was difficult watching his sister sit there and watching him as the virus slowly tore him apart. He hated seeing her as upset as she was…

"Don't worry… Aelita will get that program and you'll be alright… We'll be able to meet our little brother and then everything will be as good as it's going to get with things the way they are…"

He nodded and smiled at his sister. Over the years they'd been stuck in Lyoko she'd always stood by him. She'd never let him down. When he was controlled by the virus and they fought she still apologized for everything. She didn't mean what she said. She'd told him before that it was just to get some sort of reaction that seemed like her brother was really there…

"I won't let you leave me again…" she whispered just loud enough for him to hear.

He focused on the battle inside him and lost what else his sister said.

-Yumi-

She was beginning to get really worried. Jeremie was having a bit of trouble breathing and now he was coughing more and more. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew that if they didn't do a return to the past soon that he would die.

"I've finally found it, Xylia!" Aelita exclaimed as she typed even faster.

"Neither Rhys nor Jeremie have that much time left, so please hurry!" Xylia exclaimed frantically.

"I just have to execute it now," she stated, her finger hovering over the enter key.

"We're ready," Xylia stated firmly with a strong smile.

Aelita programmed a return to the past for five minutes later and that would go back a few hours prior in hopes that five minutes was enough time for the program to run. It seemed like it would be.

(*)(*)(*)(*) After the return trip (*)(*)(*)(*)

"I have to see if Xylia is alright!" Odd exclaimed, yelling at Yumi and Jeremie.

"No, no one is going to the factory until we're sure that the virus is gone and won't attack us. Xylia might have lost her brother and he means the world to her, so it's best if we leave her alone," Jeremie stated.

The group was in Jeremie's room. They'd been waiting for a couple of hours for Xylia to contact them and tell them what had happened. No one had been at the computer before the return. Aelita and Yumi were with Jeremie and Ulrich was tackling Odd.

"She could probably use someone to talk to," he stated stubbornly crossing his arms across his chest and frowning.

"Everyone deals with things in their own way," Yumi told him mimicking his action.

"Oh yeah? Then why don't you leave Ulrich alone about talking? Everyone deals with things in their own way, so you should leave him alone and wait till he talks to you and not push him to."

"What are you talking about?" she asked bewildered. No one had thought about whether or not Odd could hear or see what was going on. Normally they all just forgot.

"I heard the entire conversation in the factory when you were over trying to get Jeremie up and Ulrich was holding me down. Do you want me to explain what happened to everyone in here?" he asked, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

-Ulrich-

He didn't like seeing his two friends fight. They seemed to be disagreeing a lot lately and that just made the flashbacks flood into his thoughts more. It was a horrible thing to go through…

"And since when did you become an expert on Xylia? In the beginning you didn't want to trust her."

"I've recently been talking to her."

"This is going to get us no where…" Aelita sighed. She looked around and realized that Ulrich was no longer in the room and tip-toed off to try and find the brunette.

_**A/N: Not my best ending, but I'm getting distracted with cheering myself up. It's kind of working. If you're upset and trying to cheer up listen to The Happy Song (not sure who it's by, but if you just look it up on youtube you should find. I watch one with an anime playing. So, look for Kisshu Happy Song) and Caramelldansen. They both are really upbeat and make me smile.**_

_** Read and review, please!**_

_**~MoonlitxAngel**_


	23. Suspicious Behavior

_**Suspicious Behavior**_

_** A/N: Well, I'm in a bit of a better mood, but still a bit depressed about it. Watching funny stuff helps, though. Anyway, more Ulrich flashbacks! Yay! Now that the virus is gone, there will be more stuff focused on Ulrich's predicament. I see about three or four more chapters to this story. I'm not completely sure yet, though.**_

_** To the story!**_

_ Ulrich looked through the blinds over his window and watched the lighting splay itself across the sky. He curled into a ball and focus on the thunder and lightning, trying to drown out his mother's screaming. He'd tried to leave the room and something was pressed up against the door making leaving impossible so he was left to hear her screaming._

_ It had all began when his mom had gotten home late from work… His dad had been drinking, he also had a drinking probably –who would've guessed?-, and he'd cussed her out. Ulrich had been studying in his room and the next thing he knew he couldn't leave his room and the rain began pouring down…_

_ "If I didn't need the money you bring into this household you wouldn't even be here!" his dad shouted as the thunder dulled. "You're a lying little bitch!"_

_ Ulrich leapt off his bed and ran at the door. He was going to get his mom and then run out the door in hopes of finding somewhere for the two of them to hide… When the door flew open and he tumbled forward the house got very quiet for a few seconds and his dad turned on him._

_ "Do you have to butt into everything? It's like you __want__ all of this to happen!" his dad shouted at him, placing his foot on Ulrich's abdomen to keep him on the floor._

_ His mom was huddled in the corner sobbing. Her face was covered in bruises that were just now forming._

_ "You're just making things harder for yourself, son," his dad said. He grinned evilly and got up in Ulrich's face, pinning him against the floor with his hands. "You want to watch me hurt your mother? You do, don't you? That's why you came out of here in a hurry… Didn't want to miss the show, huh?" He walked over to Ulrich mom and aimed a kick at her stomach._

_ "No! Dad, please just leave us alone! Haven't you done enough?"_

_ His dad laughed. "You little son of a bitch… She brought this on herself! Why don't you stop being such a worthless piece of shit and go do something for a change!" He walked over to Ulrich and smacked him across the face. "If you want more where that came from, stay there. If not, you'd better get in your room."_

_ "Don't hurt her! Stop Dad!"_

_ "Ulrich… Go…"_

_ "No! You'll-_

Ulrich sat up quickly and shielded his face. Thunder boomed outside and he looked toward the window. It had all just been another one of those dreams… At the time he'd been thirteen. It had been over a break and his dad had gotten furious with him and his mom a lot over that break.

"Ulrich, honey, are you alright…?" his mother asked quietly as she opened his door and tip-toed inside.

He shook his head and looked down at the covers. "It's getting worse…" he whispered. Neither of the two wanted to wake up his dad.

"Those nightmares?" she asked, crossing the room and sitting on his bed.

He nodded and bit his lip as he tried to hold back tears.

"Don't worry… Your father won't be able to touch us soon enough… I'm going to find a house for you and me and I'll file for a divorce and a restraining order… I may not look it, but I can shoot a gun and I plan on getting one here soon… We'll be safe from him…" she whispered as she hugged him and stroked his hair gently.

(*)(*)(*)(*) The Next Day (*)(*)(*)(*)

"I'm going to the school to hang around with my friends. I'll be back before supper," he stated simply to his father before rushing out the door. He couldn't let his father say no. He needed the time away and he _**had**_ to know if Xylia and Rhys were alright.

He raced through the streets to get to the school.

-Odd-

"Ulrich! I have a way to cheer both of us up and to keep our minds off the stuff we're thinking about!" he shouted as the brunette entered the school's gates. He ran over, grabbing Ulrich's arm and pulling him behind a bush.

Ulrich looked around and then back to Odd and hesitantly nodded.

"Playing a prank on Sissi always makes you feel better!" he whisper-shouted.

Ulrich nodded and looked at the grass beneath his feet. He didn't really want to play a prank, but he thought it might make him feel better and it'd hopefully get his mind off his dad.

(*)(*)(*)(*) Half an Hour Later in the Principal's Office (*)(*)(*)(*)

"You'll be lucky if Principal Delmas doesn't have the two of you expelled!" Jim yelled at that as he steered Odd and Ulrich toward the principal's office.

"Come on, Jim! Get a sense of humor! No one was hurt!" Odd exclaimed as he gave Ulrich a sheepish grin. This definitely was not going as planned.

"Doesn't matter! Throwing food off the roof of the school building, then dumping water on people, and lastly throwing eggs at them is against the rules! Not to mention that that stuff fell hard and could have seriously hurt someone! Playing pranks will just get you in trouble," he stated as they entered the principal's office.

"Odd, why aren't I surprised?" Delmas asked rubbing his temples.

"We're such good friends and you know me so well," he joked as he took a seat in one of the chairs across from the desk.

-Ulrich-

He knew he was going to get in trouble. He should have just shook his head and walked off, but he had to let Odd convince him into pulling that prank.

"So boys, you do realize that I'm going to have to call your parents. You'll both be getting detention and if you complain I'll have you expelled. I'm tired of the two of you pulling pranks," Mr. Delmas said.

Ulrich's mind went into panic mode. His dad could _**not**_ find out about this… Ulrich didn't like thinking of what would happen if that were to go on…

"Come on! Why do adults have to so uptight about what we do? No one got hurt and they laughed at it, too!" Odd exclaimed defiantly.

Ulrich put his hand over the phone as Delmas reached for it to make the call. "No… Please don't call my parents…"

"Mr. Stern, why shouldn't I? Your parents need to be notified," he stated giving Ulrich a questioning glance.

Ulrich knew that Jim and Mr. Delmas were suspicious of him… They had to be with what the teachers were saying. He'd once talked during class and when asked to answer a question he'd at least try. Ulrich had dumped all those habits and stuck to being quiet most of the class.

"Let me emphasize it for you. Ulrich probably agrees that we shouldn't be punished since the other kids laughed, too," Odd stated, folding his arms across his chest and leaning back in the chair.

"You can't… Please… I'll tell them myself… My dad… He can't…" Ulrich whispered looking back at Odd with pleading eyes for a split second before dashing across the room and jerking the door open so quickly that none of the three expected it.

He tore through the school. He dodged students and anyone else in his way and made his way into the park. He climbed a tree and waited for Jim to pass by before dropping into the sewers and heading for the factory. He knew that they weren't supposed to be going there, but he couldn't stay on school grounds and if he went home he'd be stuck with his dad… His mom was at work and his dad was off so he'd be all alone…

He didn't stop running until he reached the computer lab. Once there he leaned against the wall and let his body sag onto the floor. He began crying as flashbacks of the times his father had beaten him when he'd gotten in trouble before flooded his mind.

_**A/N: I realized that when I began writing this I hadn't read the previous chapter to make sure that I kept up with what happened. So, right now I have to "deleted scenes" set-up because I started at the wrong place and need to get this chapter out now. XD One will be when Yumi and Ulrich were trying to get away from the wolves by climbing up that cliff and the second will be Aelita following Ulrich when he disappeared last chapter. XD**_

_** Read and review, please!**_

_**~MoonlitxAngel**_


	24. The Truth

_**The Truth**_

_** A/N: IMPORTANT! Does anyone remember when/if I mentioned the name of Rhys and Xylia's brother? I know I mentioned it, but I don't remember where! ^^"""""""" Anyone remember? Anyway, thanks for all the reviews! X3**_

_** On to the story!**_

"_The only reason you're allowed to stay here is because I feel generous! You get that?" his dad shouted to the both of them._

_ Ulrich huddled closer to his mom and sobbed into her shirt. He was five._

_ "You're lucky I put up with the two of you!" he yelled, throwing something against the wall._

_ "Mommy! What happened to Daddy?" he asked frantically as he got increasingly more scared._

_ "Shh…" she tried to calm him. "Johan, you're scaring Ulrich. Please just calm down…"_

_ "If he's scared then put him to bed," he said through his teeth._

_ "If you're yelling he won't be able to sleep…" she calmly stated, looking at him in the eye._

_ He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths…_

_ Ulrich broke away from his mom and hugged his dad's leg. "Daddy, please calm down… 'member yesterday? We all went out and got ice cream and we were happy… Can we go back to that…?"_

_ His dad took a few more deep breaths before replying with, "I'm sorry… I don't know what came over me…"_

_ Ulrich buried his face in his dad's pants leg and hugged him tightly…_

_-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-_

_ "You know we're going to have to call your parents, right Mr. Stern?" his elementary school principal asked him._

_ He nodded and hung his head. He'd played a small prank and it had landed him in trouble. He listened as the principal told his dad what had happened and he was told to go wait in the office because his dad was picking him up. He'd been told he needed to go home for the rest of the day._

_ Once they'd arrived at home his dad had told him that what he did was uncalled for and went to get something._

_ "Ulrich, go hide… Hurry…" his mother whispered to him, shoving him toward the doorway out of the room._

_ "Daddy is really angry, isn't he?" he asked as they neared the doorway._

_ She nodded and gave him one final shove. "Go hide and I'll find you when it's safe…"_

Ulrich shook as he sat himself down in the chair in front of the supercomputer and saw Xylia moving across the screen. He couldn't see Rhys anywhere… He picked up the headset and hesitantly said, "Hello?"

Xylia stopped and then said, "Thank goodness! I've been trying to contact someone since the return trip!"

"Jeremie wouldn't let anyone come to the factory until you contacted him…" Ulrich said slowly as he tried to keep his mind off of everything else going on.

"I tried, but I couldn't for some reason… The virus has been destroyed, but something is wrong with Rhys… He hasn't moved, said a word, or opened his eyes since we went back… I'm really worried…" she whispered as she began moving again.

"I'll get the others here and we'll see what we-"

"No, I need you to come here now… I don't recognize your voice meaning that you're probably Ulrich and Odd told me that you're a good fighter… I've seen for myself that you're a good fighter… Please come help me…"

"I'll try…"

-Odd-

"Have either of you seen Ulrich? When Delmas told us that he had to call our parents he freaked out and left the room…" Odd said as he shut the door to Jeremie's room, seeing Aelita sitting on his bed "He hasn't come in here… Have you checked your dorm?" Aelita asked looking up at him.

He nodded and sat down. "I really think that something is bugging him… Something bad happened that he's not telling us about…"

Aelita nodded and put her laptop down. "Jeremie and I can't make contact with Lyoko any longer so we need to go check things out there. Maybe it's where Ulrich went…"

"I'll call Yumi and get her to search the park and then come to the factory," Jeremie stated as he spun around in his chair and looked at Odd. "You realize he wouldn't be missing if you hadn't decided to play that prank, right?"

"Yeah yeah… After Ulrich's outburst, though, Delmas decided that he needed to look into Ulrich's behavior and wants to talk to him," Odd stated as the two genius got up and headed toward the door.

"I think we need him to tell us first…" Aelita whispered as they headed out.

-Ulrich-

"I'm hoping that this'll do something… Anyway, would you mind doing something for me?" Xylia asked him as they neared a tower.

He nodded, refusing to talk more than needed.

"Please find my little brother and find out if he's okay… Our last name is Aders… It's not a common name so you should be able to find him easily enough… He's the child of Carson and Diana Aders…" she said softly as they entered the tower and she helped Ulrich gently lay her brother down.

He nodded again and stared at her.

"Thank you… Do you want me to devirtualize you now?"

"There's no need. The rest of us just got here," Jeremie said.

"That's good to hear… Jeremie, would you check out the stuff on the computer on my brother? Something has happened…" Xylia said as she sat down next to Rhys.

"As soon as I devirtualize Ulrich and we talk to him for a bit…" he stated as he distractedly ran the program.

(*)(*)(*)(*) Earth, A Few Moments Later –Ulrich devirtualized-(*)(*)(*)(*)

"Ulrich, please tell us what's going on…" Aelita said softly as he sat down against the wall. Most of his bruises had healed, but he still had a sore back from being thrown around and punched.

He looked at his feet as he contemplated telling them… On one hand his dad couldn't know that he told them unless they told him. His friends would know and maybe they could get him in jail before he killed his mom… On the other hand it was a huge risk…

"We just want to help… We'd rather hear it from you than from Delmas and Jim… They're looking into everything… They're suspicious because of what happened in the office…" Odd said, giving Ulrich those pleading eyes he'd given the blonde before.

Ulrich sucked in a deep breath. He knew that it would come down to this… He knew it and he should've at least either tried to prevent it or gotten himself mentally ready for it… He closed his eyes and envisioned Aelita standing there in front of him. He envisioned that they were the only two people in the room. "My dad… he… he…"

"It's okay…" Yumi told him, placing her hand gently on his shoulder.

He nodded and said, "My dad abuses my mom and me…" He tugged off his shirt and showed the bruises and scars splayed across his torso and pulled up his pants' leg to show them various scars along his legs.

Normally, people said that the truth sets you free, but Ulrich didn't feel that way… He felt even more blocked than ever…

_**A/N: So he finally told them, but that doesn't mean his ordeal if over yet! XD He's still scared to death that his dad will kill his mom! Now, they have two things to figure out. XD Anyway, Creepy Toast will eat your soul! :U XD Sorry, kind of hyper, which is new for me at this hour… XD**_

_** Read and review, please!**_

_**~MoonlitxAngel**_


	25. Will

_**Will**_

_** A/N: Well, you'll understand this chapter title during the next one. XD If no one tells me anything about if they know whether that name is in there or not you're going to have to wait a few days for the chapter so that I can try to find the information and names. I'm pretty sure that I didn't delete it, so it's got to be there somewhere…**_

_**Ulrich-Help keep the story going!**_

_**Odd-We offer cookies and cake and more food!**_

_**Aelita-Bribery isn't the way to go…**_

_**Ulrich-It works for most people… -3-**_

_** To the story!**_

_ "Daddy, look what I found!" Ulrich, at the age of four, yelled to his father running up and holding a four-leaf clover to his father._

_ "You know that those things bring you good luck, son?" his dad asked hugging him and setting the brunette on his lap._

_ "Mommy told me once! When's Mommy going to be here?" he asked holding tightly onto the four-leaf clover._

_ "She called a bit ago and told me that she'd be here in five minutes with the picnic lunch," he said hugging him tightly._

_ Ulrich tilted his head back and smiled up at his father. "I'm happy you and Mommy were able to get off work for the picnic!"_

_ "I love spending time with you and Mommy," his dad said with a small smile as his mom walked up and sat down._

_ "We love spending time with you, too," his mom said tickling the four year old._

Ulrich took in a deep breath and carefully slid his shirt back on. "Please… You guys can't tell anyone… My dad will hurt my mom… He'll kill her…"

"Ulrich, he won't be able to kill her if we can get him in jail before he knows you told…" Yumi told him gently.

"No! I shouldn't have even told you guys!" he shouted as he ran toward the ladder, shaking off his friends' hands as they tried to stop and comfort him. He ran away from them…

-Aelita-

"I don't understand how a father could ever do that to his son…" she whispered once things had died down.

"No one really understands what goes through the minds of people like that, Aelita…" Jeremie stated as he looked over at the computer. "I'm going to help Xylia."

Yumi closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "We need to tell Delmas and Jim about Ulrich…"

"There's a lot riding on that statement, Yumi… We could be the difference between Ulrich's mom being dead or alive…" Odd stated as Jeremie typed away.

"We can't just not do anything! His dad could end up killing them! Did you not see all the bruises and scars! Some of those scars were very close to major veins!" she yelled.

Aelita could feel the tension and anger in the room. She knew that Yumi wanted to help Ulrich, she got that, but she also knew that telling might put him in more danger than he was in now… "We need to find a way to tell Delmas and make sure that Ulrich and his mom are safe…"

"I'm not exactly sure how that's possible… How can we get them away from him without anyone catching on?" Yumi asked tucking her hair behind her ear.

"We could tell Delmas that we know something, but we can't tell him until he gets Ulrich and his mom here and somewhere safe. We'll tell him once they're here at the school," Odd interjected looking at the two.

"That seems like it would work…" Aelita stated looking over at Jeremie and then smiling. "Jeremie, you keep working. We'll try out Odd's idea."

-Yumi-

She watched as the two left and then swiftly crossed the room to the area beside Jeremie. "Hey, will you do something for me?"

"All depends," he replied, barely looking over at her before focusing on the screen again.

"Send me to Ulrich's house. Use the scanners and send me there," she stated simply, spinning Jeremie so that he was looking her in the eyes.

"You know that revenge isn't really the answer… Let the legal system deal with it," he stated, shifting uncomfortably.

"Jeremie please… He hurt Ulrich. He deserves to understand the pain that he went through," she stated, looking at him with pleading eyes.

-Ulrich-

"I'm not sure of his first name, but I know that it's a little boy and his parents were Carson and Diana Aders… He had two siblings that went missing about ten or eleven years ago… I was asked to come here and see if he was alright," he told the lady at the door.

He stood in front of a small house that seemed to hold a few kids inside.

"Let me see if we have a child with those records on file… Why don't you take a seat over there while I look," the woman stated as she opened the door a tiny bit.

-Yumi-

She summoned her fans and moved carefully through the house. She could hear two voices in the house. Ulrich's parents were yelling at each other. Yumi stepped quietly and got to the doorway that led to where the two adults were as the phone rang.

Once Ulrich's mom got off the phone she said, "Ulrich's principal called and said he needed to see me at the school right away. I'll be back as quickly as I can."

Yumi waited until she heard the footsteps go through the front door and the door closing before coming out of her hiding place. "You're a vile man, you know that?"

"Who're you?" he asked in an obnoxious sort of way.

"Someone that wants to show you how much pain you've caused your family," she stated, letting the venom drip from her voice as she walked forward. She knew she needed to land a few good hits, and maybe try to replicate the scars on Ulrich's chest, before she let herself be hit too much.

"And how will a little girl like you show me that?" he asked.

Yumi realized that the man had gotten quite the big head after beating on his wife and Ulrich for all those years. "Like this."

-Aelita-

"She's on her way right now, so will the two of you tell me now?" he asked, folding his fingers together and leaning forward.

Odd shook his head. "Ulrich and his mom need to be in here, too."

"We need to know that they're both here," Aelita stated simply with a kind smile. Neither of the two wanted anything to happen to the two after this if it ended up being a mistake.

"Mr. Delmas, sir, I've searched everywhere for Ulrich Stern and I can't find him. Should I go search in town?" Jim asked as he opened the door and let Mrs. Stern in.

"Yes, please, Jim. These children want the two of them in here before they speak a word," he stated simply as he eyes Mrs. Stern.

Aelita knew that Mr. Delmas could see the multiple bruises that were all across her neck, arms, and face. She figured that Mrs. Stern must have booked it out of the house to get here…

"It's a matter that the police should probably get involved in…" Odd stated in a low voice.

-Ulrich-

He looked into the little boy's eyes and knew that he was the kid he was looking for. He took him away from everyone else and asked him how he was doing.

"Okay… Mommy and Daddy are gone, though… I don't have any family left…" he whispered sadly as the tears threatened to drip from his eyes.

"Your mom and dad aren't the only family you've got… You've got an older brother and sister who are very worried about you… Can you keep a secret?"

The small boy nodded, his white hair bobbing up and down.

"I know where your sister and brother are… They're trying their best to get here to you so that the three of you can try to be a family… Your older siblings don't know much about you, and I don't think you know a lot about them either, but they love you and want to help you…" Ulrich said even softer.

The boy smiled. "I'd like that… Mommy and Daddy said that it was sad to talk about them… They only ever told me their names…"


	26. Set Me Free

_**Set Me Free**_

_** A/N: Okay, I just wanted to thank all of you that helped me try to find that name. X3 I'm so glad that there are so many of you that love this story enough to help me with that. X3 So, this chapter is dedicated to all of those that reviewed and helped me and also to those that have been reading this story! So, it's dedicated to all of you! X3**_

_** Anyway, to the story!**_

_Ulrich leaped over the couch and hid his head as a plate zoomed over him._

_ "You're a worthless little brat!" his father shouted as he threw multiple things from the kitchen at the brunette._

_ "At least I'm not a good-for-nothing father!" he shouted back as he picked up something near him and threw it. It was a video tape._

_ "You think a little video tape and your worthless words are going to hurt me, boy?" he asked as his footsteps drew closer._

_ "What I'm saying is the truth. If I were a good-for-nothing then I'd be like some of the kids at school and would be getting F's all the time and not doing my homework or anything. I know you're a good-for-nothing father because a real dad doesn't beat his kid and his wife. I've heard you beating Mom and you've hit me plenty of times to qualify as abuse."_

_ His dad stopped and then let out a laugh. "Don't you think I've already thought of that little drawback?" He grabbed Ulrich's arm and squeezed tightly._

_ Ulrich tried to pull away and failed. "What could you do?"_

_ He laughed again and then replied, "I'll kill your mother… I'll make sure that the day you tell someone is the day she takes her last breath…"_

"Go, go, go!" the little white-haired boy yelled as Ulrich ran with him sitting on his back.

"I'm working on it! Quit pulling my hair!" he shouted as he ran. He'd asked the lady in charge of the kids if he could take the little boy out for awhile and after seeing that he really did come from Kadic Academy and that he was who he said he was she allowed it.

"I wanna see my siser (sis-err) and brudder! Hurry!" the little boy yelled, tugging at Ulrich's hair harder.

"I'll stop running if you don't stop shouting!" he laughed as they ran forward. He really didn't care that the two were getting strange looks from other people on the streets.

He sighed and nodded. "Okay… We better get there soon, though!"

-Johan-

"You're the girl that's a year older than my son and that he's got that crush on, aren't you?" he laughed. "Do you really think you can hurt me?"

"Yes, I really do think so," she stated as she got up close to his face. She did a back flip and landed on her hands, kicking his chin as she did so.

He was kicked back a little and wiped his lip. "Is that all you've got?"

"Not even close…" She stated as she swung her arms downward and a set of fans appeared in her hands. "I'm just getting started."

-Ulrich-

"I want you to meet your cousin first. She's very sweet," he stated as they got closer and closer to the school. "Though, we might have to sneak around…"

"Do they not like kids?" he asked innocently, looking toward Ulrich and resting his head on Ulrich's shoulder.

"They don't like having little kids around the campus, I guess…" he stated as he saw Jim near the gates. "Oh shoot… That's Jim, he's the guy in charge of gym classes and he's like a caregiver. He makes sure that we're all following the rules."

"Why's he leaving, then?" he asked, pointing toward Jim as he left the gates and looked around.

"I'm not sure…" he stated as he shifted the child a little so that he was more comfortable. "We need to get into the school for both things unless we want to go the long route… How about I introduce you to my mom? My dad is on a trip if I remember correctly."

-Odd-

"Calling him isn't going to help. If he didn't pick up the first ten times, Aelita, then he's not going to pick up now," Odd stated as he paced around the room. "I'm going to try calling Jeremie and see if he knows where he is."

"Alright, and ask him how Yumi is doing… She seemed really angry when we left them earlier," Aelita told him.

He nodded and then left the room, pulling his phone out and calling in the process.

"What is it, Odd?" Jeremie asked when he answered.

"Do you know where Ulrich might be? We're telling the principal what's been happening as soon as he gets here, but no one can find him and he isn't answering his phone," he replied as he paced. "I'm worried he might have gone back home. After telling us he might have gotten the courage to face his dad…"

"I'll try to localize him. Xylia mentioned having a little brother, right? If you can find him bring him to the factory. I can't get either of them here without some DNA that seems to be missing and their little brother might just have what I need."

"Yeah, I'll look around. Can't promise anything. Do you know their parents' name?" he asked as he leaned up against the door to Mr. Delmas's office.

"Diana and Carson Aders. Diana was Franz's sister. I say was because they both died in a car crash about a week ago leaving their last child alone."

"I'll see if I can find him. Call me if you find Ulrich," Odd stated as he hung up and swung open the office door. "I have to go find something. I'll be back. Aelita call me if you need me."

-Johan-

"You're going to finally understand the pain that you've inflicted upon your son and wife!" she yelled at him as her fan slashed his cheek again. At that moment his shirt and pants were in tatters and multiple lacerations were covering his body.

He ducked behind the doorway as the fans threatened to hit him again. He knew that getting beat-up was inevitable, but he was going to fight for as long as he could.

"Hiding won't save you!" she shouted as a fan flew through the doorway and spun around to hit him in the torso.

He slid down the wall and covered his head. This beating wasn't going to stop anytime soon and he didn't know how much more he could take of it…

"You're going to feel every bruise you left them with! You're going to have every scar as a memento!" she yelled as a door creaked open.

Ulrich came up to the two holding a boy that looked about five years old.

"Ulrich, help me and I promise I won't lay a hand on either of you ever again!" he shouted, looking up at Ulrich with pleading eyes.

"Hey…" Ulrich said looking at the black haired girl that had attacked him.

"I'm not leaving, Ulrich. He deserves what he's getting," she stated through clenched teeth.

"I know he does, but you can't do this… What happens if you get caught?" he asked, shifting the child's position as he stepped closer to him and to the girl.

"They won't have any proof, Ulrich," she stated angrily.

"You know what my dad is capable of. He doesn't know who you are, but he knows we know each other and he'll hurt me to get to you."

"I won't… I won't hurt you guys anymore…" he said, looking between the two teens.

"You need to leave," he stated harshly. He put the kid down and showed him to the living room. "I'll deal with my dad."

"Like you've been dealing with him for the past however many years, Ulrich?" she shouted.

"That was a bit of a low-blow," he stated angrily. "Go, now!"

"Fine, but you deserve what's coming to you," she said as she spun around and left his sight.

Ulrich walked over to where his dad sat and looked down at him.

He looked up at Ulrich.

-Odd-

He was racing toward Ulrich's house. Just five minutes before he'd gotten a call from Jeremie stating that Ulrich was there. He knew that if Ulrich's dad was there he might hurt Ulrich again.

"Jeremie, how're things going with Xylia and Rhys?" he asked as he tried to keep his mind off of what might be happening.

"I've got everything ready for when you get their brother here… Xylia says not to worry and that Rhys and her should be fine," he stated.

"Did you find out what was wrong with Rhys?"

"All I can figure is that the program was shut off a small bit too soon and the virus took a bit of Rhys's data with it when it was destroyed. Their brother might be able to restore the missing data with his DNA, but I won't know until he's here."

"I'm coming up on Ulrich's house right now…" he stated as he heard the sound of pounding.

_A/N: I'm still picking a name. Any suggestions? XD Again, I love you guys! X3_

_ Read and review!_

_~MoonlitxAngel_


	27. Trouble

_**Trouble**_

_** A/N: Can anyone else believe that it's already Thursday? XD I know I can't. XD It's almost the weekend! Yesh! X333 I'm excited. ^-^ Anyway, thank you all and I love yous! X3 112 reviews, I really can't believe it. X3**_

_** To the story!**_

"Ulrich, Ulrich where are you?" Odd called as he ran through the front door and saw blood splattered across the floor. After taking one whiff of the air Odd decided he'd hold his nose through the rest of the venture through the house.

"Scary!" a little boy with white hair and piercing green eyes yelled running up to Odd and hugging his leg.

"What's going on?" he asked, leaning down.

"They're fighting and the guy that brought me here is getting really scary…" he whispered, hiding his face in Odd's pants leg.

"What's your name?" he asked as he got closer and closer to the kitchen, where most of the noise was coming from.

"Idris… Please stop them…" he whispered pointing toward the kitchen.

"It'd probably be the best thing to do. Do you know where the police station is?" he asked as he stepped closer and tried to get a quick glimpse of Ulrich or his dad.

"The lady that takes care of us makes sure that we know where it's at just in case…" he stated softly.

"Go get the police. Tell them that something is happening here and then lead them here. I'll try to see if I can get anything figured out."

Idris nodded and ran out the front door.

Odd made his way around the doorway and saw Ulrich standing in front of his hunched over father. Both were panting and Ulrich's fists were covered in blood.

"How do you like it? All this has barely been a fourth of what you've put Mom and me through," Ulrich stated through clenched teeth. He seemed to not notice Odd in the doorway.

Odd quickly texted Aelita telling her that Ulrich was safe with him and to go ahead and tell Delmas.

-Aelita-

"Mr. Delmas, Odd just told me that he's got Ulrich and he's safe and away from the reason the three of us are in here," Aelita stated as she looked down at her hands. She hoped that Ulrich's mom would let her tell what's going on.

"Then please Mrs. Stones, tell us what's going on that's so important," he stated, gesturing for her to speak.

Aelita took in a deep breath and began, "Well, after Ulrich and Odd's prank this morning we found Ulrich and we calmed him down because he was upset… He told us that his dad couldn't know about what happened… He'd hurt him… He told us that his dad beats him and his mom… He showed us all the bruises and scars… There are bruises that are yellowing all over his torso and multiple scars covering his torso… I'd bet there are more on his legs… He said that his dad threatened to kill his mom if he told anyone… He was freaked when we said we wanted to tell you or the police and ran off…"

Mr. Delmas leaned back and looked at Aelita. "You understand that if this is a joke you will receive serious consequences, correct?"

Aelita nodded and chanced a quick glance over to Mrs. Stern who sat dumbstruck.

"Mrs. Stern, is what Mrs. Stones said true?" Mr. Delmas asked turning toward the older woman.

She nodded slowly.

Aelita let out the breath she didn't know that she was holding as Mr. Delmas's phone rang.

After picking it up and listening to what was said he hung up and motioned for the two women to follow him. "Jim just called and said that Ulrich, his father, and Odd are all being taken down to the hospital and then once they recover they're being questioned by the police. He said something about a huge fight and blood all over the boys and the house."

Aelita putting a re-assuring arm around Mrs. Stern's shoulders and smiled. "I'm one of Ulrich's friends and I know that he's a strong guy…"

-Ulrich-

"Odd… I've turned into a monster…" he whispered as they were both being checked over in the ambulance the three occupied.

"No you haven't. There's no doubt about it. You're my best friend and you did what you did because he's done it to you for almost as far back as you can remember… With all that you've suffered I really doubt anything is going to happen to you…" he said softly so the person attending to Mr. Stern wouldn't hear.

"I attacked him and I bet if you hadn't stopped me I would've killed him… Yumi was there and she'd beat up on him, too… Odd, I can't take it…"

"The only monster in this ambulance is your dad. No, he's not even your dad. He's the monster. He's the one that abused you and your mom for all these years. You're worth everything to all of us, alright? So you'd better not go all pessimistic on us," Odd said putting his arm over Ulrich's shoulder. (A/N: I have no idea what the police would really do, okay? So just play along. XD)

Ulrich sighed. "I just hope that my mom and everyone else is alright…"

"They'll be at the hospital waiting for us, I bet," Odd stated as the vehicle stopped moving and Ulrich's dad was rushed out of the van.

(*)(*)(*)(*) A Few Hours Later (*)(*)(*)(*)

"I thought that would _never_ end!" Odd exclaimed collapsing into one of the chairs in the hospital's waiting area.

"You're not the only one… I doubt we'll be out of here by three in the morning…" Ulrich sighed as he sunk into the chair next to Odd.

"Ulrich, you know both of your parents are patients here, right? They found that a wound your mother had was infected and so they're taking care of it," Jeremie stated as he typed away on his laptop, with Idris sitting on Yumi's lap next to him.

"Yeah, Jim told me when I get out of questioning…" he stated as he looked up at the ceiling. "How's your thing coming?"

"You mean the program? Decently. I'll need to take Idris to the factory, but this should work to get them both back here safe and sound," he stated as he closed his laptop.

"Go take care of Xylia and Rhys, we'll stick around here and we've all got our mobiles so you'll be good if anything happens," Yumi stated as she looked at her feet.

Ulrich and Yumi hadn't spoken, or had a chance to, since when he told her to leave at his house. He really wanted to know if she was angry with him…

"Ulrich, did the doctor's check all the cuts and bruises covering you?" Aelita asked sweetly as she walked up holding coffee for her friends and herself.

"Yeah, they said that I was lucky to be out of this whole ordeal alive… That my dad almost hit major veins, as you can see in most of these scars…" he almost whispered. He was a bit afraid of what might happen now that these people all knew…

"He's being taken into police custody as soon as he heals," Odd stated, stretching his legs out and drinking some of his coffee.

"Vile men like that don't deserve to be helped…" Ulrich whispered to himself.

-Jeremie-

"I'm almost finished with it, Xylia," he told her as he held Idris, the small five-year-old fitting easily, on his lap.

"When you talk to Ulrich next would you thank him for me?" she asked, her face appearing on the screen at smiling at the two.

"You'll be able to tell him yourself soon enough," he stated as Idris reached his hand towards the screen. "Your little brother is right here with me if you want to say something to him."

"There's a lot I'd like to say, but I want to be able to say it to him face-to-face and not through a computer screen where I can barely see the top of his head," she stated, keeping the smile plastered on her face.

"Well then, let's hope that this program works…"

_**A/N: I think that all this story needs is an epilogue and I'm done with it. X3 I may or may not be doing Disappearance next. I'm not sure yet. XD I took that poll to see what my reader's wanted, and I do value your opinion, but there are others that I like, too. X3 I'm not sure yet. XD**_

_** Read and review!**_

_**~MoonlitxAngel**_


	28. Epilogue

_**Epilogue**_

_** A/N: All of you guys really make me smile. X3 I'm really glad that I've got you all as my wonderful reviewers. ^-^ Even you people that don't review and just read are awesome. X3 Anyway, it's just about time for us to part with this story, huh? I always get a bit sentimental when it gets to the end of a story… XD**_

_** Anyway, to the story!**_

"Let's go, brudder!" Idris shouted as they ran, well Idris ran (Rhys walked), toward the school.

"I don't see how you get excited about going to school," Rhys laughed as he picked up the smaller boy and smiled. "Let's go get our sister."

"Yeah! And we'll go to cuzzy 'lita, too! I wanna see cuzzy 'lita!" Idris shouted jumping up and down on Rhys's back.

"Calm down, Idris. You're going to make me fall over," he stated with a small laugh.

"I wanna see cuzzy and sissy!" he shouted to Rhys, pounding his little fists on Rhys's back as they broke through the trees.

"Stop shouting and we might get somewhere. You know the school doesn't like it when there's a little kid on campus," he stated as he walked around trying to remember where the entrance was to the dorm rooms.

Idris sighed and said, "Bruddy, we need a new plan."

-Xylia-

"I need to get going. Rhys and Idris are probably having a fit," she stated softly, kissing Odd's cheek.

"Yeah, I bet they're running here right now to come get you," Odd said laughing.

She nodded. "I wouldn't put it past them. I'm just glad that it's Friday. I get to spend some time at home."

"I don't see why you don't just live there. It's close enough to school that you could come to breakfast and see us all anytime you wanted," he stated with a huge grin.

"I wanna see you more. And it's because of you that I stay here. Rhys wanted to move back to where our parents lived and go to a public school, but we convinced him to stay here. Idris and Rhys were all for moving, too. We convinced them not to, though," Xylia said with a small smile and a laugh.

"Xy-y-y-ylia! We are going to find you! We won't let ourselves be kicked out until we find yo-o-o-ou!" she heard Rhys yell from the courtyard.

Xylia laughed and kissed Odd's cheek again. "I'll see you Monday."

"Unless I come visit you. Idris loves me," he stated laughing and waving as she left the room.

-Ulrich-

"Thanks again for the help last week, Yumi," he stated, smiling at the raven-haired girl.

"It was no problem. I'm just glad we got you and your mom all unpacked finally," she stated hugging him.

"It took a month, but we finally did it… We've finally left that house behind…" he whispered, looking out the window of the kitchen.

"Don't even think about that house, you hear me?" she asked, pulling him away from the kitchen and into the living room.

"It's a part of me and my past, Yumi… If I just forget about it then it might happen again and I refuse to put my mom through that. Right now all that needs worried about is taken care of. I'm in school, Mom's got a job, and she's got stuff set up for when she's got to go on maternity leave. Don't you dare say anything about an abortion just because it's Johan's kid," he stated, turning toward her with a steely look in his eyes.

"Not thinking about it will help you get over what happened…" she whispered, trying to smile.

"I know what works for me, okay? I'm going to have permanent mementos of what he did. If I remember it I know that I won't become another statistic," he said, looking her squarely in the eyes.

"Yumi, thank you for all your help, but I think Ulrich and I need to be alone now…" his mom whispered as she sat down.

"I'll see you at school, Ulrich," Yumi stated as she went to the front door and looked back briefly before leaving.

"I'm just glad he's not able to hurt us any longer…" Ulrich said as he walked over and sat next to his mom.

"I doubt there's a court out there that can tell us that he's not guilty. If that ends up happening then you and I will leave with your baby brother or sister… We'll leave the country and hide…" she told him, putting an arm over his shoulders and hugging him tightly.

He nodded. "I'm going to see how my friends are. I'll be home in a few hours."

"Come back soon. Your grandparents are going to be here soon enough for dinner," she stated as he left.

-Jeremie-

"We're going to visit Xylia, Rhys, and Idris once Ulrich gets here, right?" Odd asked as he entered Jeremie's room.

"Yeah, it's more than just 'visiting' though, Odd. We're throwing a 'glad we've all made it out of this' party," Aelita stated as she entered the room with a smile.

"Yeah, I know," he stated smiling.

"Ulrich said he'd meet us there and Yumi told me earlier that she couldn't come because of her parents," Jeremie stated as he got up out of his seat and walked toward the door. "So, shall we go?"

-Xylia-

"Odd's coming here?" Idris exclaimed as he ran up and hugged Xylia's legs together.

"Yeah, and we're going to have a party and everything to celebrate us all coming home," she stated looking around the doorway at her uncle sitting at the piano with Rhys. Once Jeremie had gotten the two of them back their uncle had revealed himself and helped Jeremie bring him back. Ever since Rhys had been trying to get back to normal with their uncle and they, along with Idris and Aelita, lived in the Hermitage after they got it all fixed up.

"Hey Xylia, I was able to convince my parents to let me come," Yumi stated with a small smile as she walked in the door.

"Yumi!" Idris exclaimed, running over and hugging her legs after letting go of Xylia's.

"The others are on their way. I saw Ulrich back behind me somewhere," she stated as she picked up Idris and hugged him.

"I've got the cake, pizza, and soda all set up in the dining room. It was a job keeping Idris and Rhys from stealing some before everyone else got here," Xylia laughed as Ulrich entered and walked over.

(*)(*)(*)(*) An Hour Later (After everyone's arrival) (*)(*)(*)(*)

-Yumi-

It seemed that Ulrich had forgotten about everything that the two had said back at his house. She was glad and she'd even gotten him to dance while Rhys, decently, played the piano for them.

"I'm just glad that things are going back to normal," Odd stated as they all talked about the events of the past few weeks. "Ulrich's talking again, the evil virus is gone, Lyoko is safe, Franz Hopper is safe, and everything is pretty good for all of us right now."

"You forgot that my mom is having a baby, Odd," Ulrich said with a small laugh.

"I think that things will keep getting better," Xylia stated as she hugged her two brothers.

_**A/N: I think it was a decent ending. XD So, Xylia and Rhys are on Earth with Idris, Franz Hopper is back, the virus is defeated, and Ulrich's dad is almost positively going to jail! Happy ending! Though, again, I'll make those deleted scenes tomorrow (that or not) and I'll get the next story posted at most by Sunday. :3 I may start working on one for the CL fandom and then one for Pandora Hearts, just so you people that have me on your author subscription list know. XD**_

_** Read and review! Thanks for the reviews on this story all the way through!**_

_**~MoonlitxAngel, over and out. X3**_


	29. Deleted Scene 1

_**Deleted Scene 1**_

_** A/N: Well, this is deleted scene number one. XD This should be pretty short since it was supposed to be part of the story told from one character's POV. XD This takes place when the virus made Aelita see Jeremie as a wolf and Yumi and Ulrich were running from those wolves and leading them toward that cliff in the forest. :3**_

_** To the deleted scene!**_

Ulrich raced forward, gripping Yumi's wrist as the wolves were getting closer and closer to the two teens.

"Ulrich, we've got to get to that cliff and climb up. It'll take them longer to get us that way and we might make it to the factory so we can find out what's going on," Yumi told him panting.

Ulrich quickly thought about it and realized that Yumi was right. They'd have to climb that cliff if they wanted any chance of getting away from the wolves and so he changed their course a little so that they were angled toward the cliffs and ran faster.

As soon as the two reached the cliffs Yumi began climbing as Ulrich climbed and attempted to not look down. Not looking down didn't really help his vertigo, though, because he could still see the sky getting closer and closer as he climbed.

"You okay?" Yumi called from her spot on the wall of rock.

He nodded and hoped that she was looking down. He hoped that this wasn't some plan to get him to talk… He mentally cursed himself as he looked down after his foot slipped. He bit back a surprised scream and tried to focus on moving upwards.

"Are you okay?" Yumi shouted down to him from the top of the cliff. She was lying flat on her belly and peering over the edge at him so as not to put all her weight on the hanging rock and break it.

Ulrich stared at the rock in front of him and edged to his left, feeling for footholds so that he wouldn't have to look down.

"Ulrich, please just tell me you're going to be alright…" he heard Yumi said in a worried tone…

He wished that he could just scream. To let all the tension off his body and scream loud. He wished that he had the strength to hurt his father and protect his mother… He wished that he could protect her… He wished that he didn't have vertigo… He wished he could bring himself to speak one word to Yumi… To apologize or to tell her he did love her… He squeezed his eyes shut and continued to climb and didn't re-open his eyes until he'd reached the top next to Yumi…

As they ran toward the Factory, Yumi a few paces ahead of Ulrich, he whispered to her, "I'm sorry…"

_**A/N: And so now you know what happened at that point. XD I made it longer than it would have been in the chapter, though… P: XD You're welcome. I might or might not make the next deleted scene. Not sure. XD**_

_** Read and review (if you feel like it! XD)**_

_**~MoonlitxAngel**_


	30. A Little Note to My Reviewers

_**A Little Note to My Reviewers…**_

_** Alright, so we all know how much you guys have liked: Times to Remember and Things to Change or Darkened Moon or Silence and Insanity or Left Behind. =3 They wouldn't have gotten so many reviews if you hadn't liked 'em, right? So, I'd love it if all of you would check out Disappearance. X3 For those of you who haven't or didn't read its sister fic (Times to Remember and Things to Change) there's a recap for the basic information told by the characters themselves. =D**_

_** I really loved all of your feedback, and if you followed me to each story I'd really love it. X3 You all make my writing worthwhile because I know that people care to read it. X3 One of these days I hope to get out real books and I'll let you all know who I am when I get them written. Maybe. XD My mom's going to help me with that, but that's not the point of this. XD My point is to say that you guys, my reviewers, are amazing and I'd love to see you guys review Disappearance. Each of you have great stories that I've read and reviewed or just read b/c I was too lazy to review. XD**_

_** One last little thing here, in my spare time (which I do have a bit of since I stay up late on school nights…) I'll write request fics. =3 So let me know if you have any. My random one-shots are just ideas that may never make it. XD**_

_** Anyway, going to work on my stories now. XD Hope to hear back from you!**_

_**~MoonlitxAngel**_


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